German fibre-optic network operator M-net will launch a new version of its IPTV platform TVplus in cooperation with Ocilion on March 1, 2022.
For a monthly price of €12.90, customers receive more than 110 TV channels in the basic package, of which over 60 are in HD quality, including the channels of major commercial TV broadcasters RTL and ProSiebenSat.1, as well as almost 70 radio stations. This was announced by M-net and Ocilion at a joint online press conference.
Also included are interactive TV add-on functions such as recording and archiving TV programmes in the cloud, time-shifted TV, direct access to TV catch-up services and mobile use via smartphone/tablet app as well as via web browser.
For an additional charge, customers can subscribe to four pay-TV packages with special-interest channels (movies, sports, documentaries, children) and nine foreign-language packages. The 4K set-top box (pictured), which brings the IPTV offer to the TV set, is available for €5 per month. With the free TVplus app, access is also possible via Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Google Chromecast. Existing TVplus customers will be transferred to the enhanced IPTV service in the coming months.
Technically, the new IPTV offer is implemented via an on-premises solution in collaboration with Austrian IPTV service provider Ocilion, based on a cooperation announced in May 2021. The service is operated via M-net’s own servers and hardware in its data centre in Munich.
A future development step is the integration of third-party apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, RTL+, Joyn or DAZN, Broadband TV News learned at the press conference. TVplus is initially tied to the M-net network. Free access as an OTT offer via any internet service provider and mobile network is on the “roadmap”, but this depends on rights issues, according to M-net.
At the same time, the company assured that it would continue to offer a radio package in the DAB+ standard on its fibre-optic network in parallel to the radio line-up on TVplus. In fact, more DAB+ radio stations will be added in future.
