The platform was launched in 2014 and has already had over 20 million installs globally.
The updated platform has a completely new user interface and integration of content providers, puts the user and their habits at the centre of the TV experience. It incorporates a centralised user management, advertising and billing systems, which simplifies the user experience, providing the customer a more direct way of accessing content.
Speaking at a press event in Las Vegas, Hisense International chairman Dr Lan Lin said: “Vidaa aggregates content from the best global and local partners. We already have global partners including Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Red Bull TV, Deezer, DAZN, Rakuten TV and Hungama. With the new update we are also bringing on our platform a new partnership with sports-focused live TV streaming service fuboTV. fuboTV’s application is already pre-installed in every Hisense TV with Vidaa OS, and you can access a custom sports experience seamlessly by clicking the ‘Sports’ button on the remote”.
The integration of fuboTV into Vidaa brings all the major leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL) as well as college sports and local and regional games onto the platform, easily accessible and curated inside the intuitive user interface. Beyond that, fuboTV is one of the few providers that offers streaming access to sports in 4K. FuboTV for Vidaa also comes with access to a wide variety of entertainment and news programmes.
The same direct access capability has also been implemented for music. It’s now easier than ever to directly access music on YouTube through a dedicated music streaming service.
Lin added: “apart from the sport and music pillars, there are two additional curated portions of the platform. In creating Vidaa Art, Hisense has partnered with the world’s leading digital art community, DeviantArt. Founded in 2000, DeviantArt is home to over 48 million members who have submitted over 370 million pieces of original art. Digital art from hundreds of their most talented artists is available to all Vidaa users for free, turning their living rooms into a live gallery.”
An important initiative Hisense is bringing to the global stage is providing free access to education on the large screen. That is why in South Africa, where it is the market leader selling over a third of TVs in the market, it has partnered up with Mindset, an NGO backed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, to bring over 5000 educational videos for children ages 6-18 to the large screen. This unique initiative will be expanded to other markets around the globe.
Apart from the US, Hisense is launching the updated Vidaa platform in over 120 territories globally in Q1 of this year, supporting its international expansion.