M7 Group’s Dutch operation Canal Digitaal is launching its smart TV app to make watching TV possible without a dedicated receiver or set-top box.
The Smart TV App gives access to linear and non-linear TV content as well as all interactive functions such as Begin Gemist, Live TV pause, 7 days of viewing and watching on demand. The Smart TV App can be downloaded from the appstore of Samsung or LG Smart TVs.
The Smart TV App is hybrid and therefore suitable for satellite and internet reception. The app works like a virtual set-top box and offers the same user interface and interactive functions as the M7 receivers without the need for additional hardware. The (pay TV and free-to-air) satellite channels are received via the integrated DVBS2 tuner and Canal Digital’s CI+ module, while interactive services reach the TV screen via the internet.
Christiaan Puper, managing director Eviso “With the Smart TV App, hassle with difficult installations or receivers, neatly getting rid of all kinds of cables or using multiple remote controls is finally a thing of the past. Our customers now have one and the same interface, regardless of the screen they watch TV on.
Andrei Noppe, EVP Technical Operations, added: “This is an important step in our strategy to focus on experience rather than technology or infrastructure. It’s about providing our customers with a better, integrated TV experience, no matter what screen they use or what TV content they watch. Currently, the Smart TV App is available for Samsung and LG smart TVs. We are currently working to make the Smart TV App also available on smart TVs from other providers.”
Canal Digitaal customers can directly use the Smart TV App by connecting it to the mobile Canal Digitaal TV App on their mobile or tablet. This works very simply, via a QR code. Consumers who are not yet Canal Digitaal customers can try the Smart TV App for 30 days for free.
The M7 app was first launched in Germany last May on Samsung TV sets. The LG version was launched in September. With the launch in The Netherlands, the M7 app is now available in all M7 Group markets, Belgium (TV Vlaanderen and TeleSAT), Austria (HD Austria) and Skylink (Czech and Slovak).
