Netgem has relaunched PLEIO, removing the TV tuner and adding the UK’s Freely service to create a new UK streaming device and white-label TV platform.
It’s being positioned as an all-in-one service for watching live TV, streaming apps and cloud gaming.
PLEIO integrates Freely – the free streaming platform backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and U – offering over 50 live channels and a deep on-demand line-up over Wi-Fi. The device also adds more than 150 extra IP channels spanning sport, movies, kids, documentary and music, plus a catalogue of over 250 cloud games curated by Netgem.
Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, said bringing Freely to devices such as PLEIO would allow “millions of households who currently don’t have access to Freely” to stream free TV on their existing sets.
Running Netgem’s unified UI, PLEIO combines live channels, streaming services and gaming in a single interface with universal search across Freely and major apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. Access to the Google Play Store allows users to add other services including NOW, Disney+ and Apple TV.
Mathias Hautefort, Netgem Group CEO, said PLEIO offers a “Watch, Stream and Play” experience for any fibre-connected home and marks a “new approach” for operators looking to deliver both choice and value.
The palm-sized PLEIO Puck ships with a voice-enabled remote and wireless gamepad in the box. In the consumer market it will initially be sold via Amazon in the UK for £99, including three months’ free access to PLEIO Extra – the 150+ additional channels and 250+ cloud games.
Netgem is also pitching PLEIO as a tool for operators. The platform will be bundled with fibre broadband offers through ISPs under Netgem’s fully managed white-label model, with the vendor providing marketing tools, sales training, customer support and operations. ISP customers will receive permanent free access to the PLEIO Extra package.
The company is positioning the product as a response to growing fragmentation in the TV and streaming market, where viewers are spending increasing amounts of time searching for content. Netgem cites research suggesting users spend around 30 minutes a day deciding what to watch, and says PLEIO’s emphasis on free content, aggregation and simple discovery is designed to appeal to cost-conscious households and younger viewers who mix traditional TV with platforms such as YouTube.
Alongside TV and streaming, Netgem sees cloud gaming as a way to broaden PLEIO’s appeal to households that do not own a console, highlighting titles such as Nickelodeon Kart Racers, The Smurfs, Overcooked 2, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Gear Club 2.
