The addition of OTT services to DTH and IPTV distribution of Canal Digitaal in The Netherlands proves to be a successful move for M7 Group.
Meeting the rapidly growing subscriber demand to watch content at any time on any device, OTT is now an essential part of M7’s hybrid TV offering, both for linear and on-demand content.
Bill Wijdeveld, VP Business Development at M7 Group comments: “While the usage of hybrid set top-boxes and Smart TVs is growing steadily, the take-up of the M7 TV app is impressive. By July, the total number of users of the M7 TV app, available via Apple and Android devices, has grown to close to 300.000, representing a 30% growth since December 2017.”
The M7 TV app allows subscribers to watch content from the various M7 TV platforms at any time on any device. In addition, M7 has introduced a dedicated app for Smart TVs in partnership with Samsung, allowing viewers to access both linear and interactive services via a Smart TV, without the need for a settop box. Other TV manufacturers to follow shortly.
As a result of the rapid uptake of hybrid TV viewing among M7 subscribers, special interest channels targeting smaller viewing audiences are now primarily distributed via OTT. In The Netherlands, these include thematic Dutch channels NPO Zapp, NPO1 Extra, RTL Crime, RTL Lounge and AT5.
OTT distribution also allows for the addition of new channels. NPO2 Extra, NPO3 Extra and NPO Nieuws will be added shortly to the Canal Digitaal line-up. These new – and other OTT channels – can be received by all Canal Digitaal subscribers with a hybrid box and users of the Canal Digitaal TV App. The programmes on these channels can also be watched at any time on any device thanks to interactive applications like restart and replay TV.
