24i to Showcase its cutting-edge OTT Apps at IBC 2017

RTÉ announces plans to develop the next generation RTÉ Player

RTÉ today announced its plans to develop the next generation RTÉ Player, Ireland’s number one broadcaster video-on-demand service. It is expected that the new service will be launched before the end of the year. The redeveloped RTÉ Player will be RTÉ’s multi-channel television and video platform, designed and re-imagined for how Irish audiences watch television and video content online. It will be a world-class online television and video destination that seamlessly blends the audience content needs across live and on-demand with a curated, personalised service, with new features and functionality. The new RTÉ Player experience will be a gateway into a world of great content, from box-sets and curated on-demand libraries across 10 genres, to exciting new original RTÉ Player shorts, as well as the ability to enjoy RTÉ’s live channels on any screen. Delivering a multi-platform experience, the redeveloped RTÉ Player will be available across web, iOS, Android, connected TVs and OTT services, including Saorview, Chromecast, Android TV and Apple TV. RTÉ’s lead partner for the delivery of the project is Fincons Group. The global IT Business Consulting company has over 30 years’ experience as a broadband and broadcast service partner and has worked with many leading companies including Sky and the largest Italian commercial broadcaster, Mediaset, as consultant and integration partner for their video solutions and OTT platform rollouts. RTÉ and Fincons Group will also work with the Dutch-based TV app development company 24i, an internet TV app company, which powers apps for leading brands like Viacom, Fuse media and Sinclair. Discovery and personalisation provider ContentWise will integrate its content personalisation solution. RTÉ Player will benefit from the combination of Fincons Group’s design and integration, 24i’s unified UI front-end expertise and ContentWise’s user experience automation capabilities. Múirne Laffan, RTÉ’s Chief Digital Officer, said: “The delivery of the next generation RTÉ Player is hugely important for RTÉ’s future. It is a sophisticated proposition that will position us to meet evolving audience expectations and compete within a highly competitive, globalised media environment.” Aoife Byrne, Director of Content & Products for RTÉ’s digital division, said: “In order to meet the changing needs of our audiences, we are transforming RTÉ Player from being a pure catch-up TV service to being a world-class live and on-demand online TV and video platform. Irish audiences will continue to be able to catch up on their favourite show, but with the next-generation RTÉ Player we will soon be offering so much more: on-demand libraries with hundreds of great titles from across the genres; great box-sets to binge on, and brand new short-form content, exclusive to RTÉ Player. Audiences will also be able to enjoy RTÉ’s television channels live, on any screen.” “As well as delivering on our audience’s content needs, we want next-generation RTÉ Player to deliver a superb streaming experience. To achieve this, we are working with our delivery partners Fincons Group, 24i and ContentWise who are hugely experienced in delivering world-class online TV and video platforms. We are rebuilding the product from the ground up to ensure technical reliability, and we will also be adding some great new features and functionality such as live restart and autoplay to make watching great TV and video even better” added Aoife Byrne. Michele Moretti, CEO at Fincons Group, commented: “We are delighted to be bringing our tailored solutions and wealth of experience to support such a key strategic project for a national media like RTÉ,designing and integrating a future-proof OTT solution which will efficiently provide a seamless and compelling multiscreen user experience. Building on our extensive experience working with the major international players, this project further confirms our footprint in the media and broadcast sector.” ENDS For reference, please contact: Marika MacCarvill, Communications Manager, RTÉ Digital Tel: 00 353 1 208 4665 / 00 353 86 171 2568 About RTÉ Player: RTÉ Player is Ireland’s number-one broadcaster video-on-demand service, continuing to attract record-level audiences. Last month (March 2017) was the strongest month ever for RTÉ Player, attracting its highest level of viewers for any month to date, serving over 5.3 million streams and attracting over 2.1 million unique browsers. January and February this year were also the strongest on record for their respective months. In 2016, RTÉ Player attracted its highest level of audiences, serving over 50 million streams, which represents an additional 10 million streams or 26% increase on 2015. In 2016, the popular online service delivered an average of 4.2 million streams per month, and an average of 1.7 million unique browsers per month, with both figures up 30% on the previous year. Signifying changing viewing habits, live viewing on RTÉ Player was up by 74% on 2015 volumes, with 20% of monthly streams being live in 2016. Of the 2 million streams served for Euro 2016, 1.5 million streams were live. RTÉ Player’s offering continued to evolve in 2016, moving away from being a purely catch-up service, with the commissioning of more online-exclusive content and extra content around some the most popular RTÉ Television series and events of the year, as well as the addition of new permanent content hubs, including Doc Hub, Food Hub and Arts Hub. Together the online extras and exclusive shorts on RTÉ Player attracted over 3 million streams.

24i EXTENDS NUEVO SIGLO’S OTT SERVICE TO SMART TV AND GAME CONSOLE

Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 13, 2014 – Uruguayan cable operator Nuevo Siglo has contracted Amsterdam-based developer 24i to implement their ‘Smart Operator’ solution, thus enabling the operator to add Smart TVs and game consoles to their OTT service ‘NS Now’. The Smart Operator is a TV Everywhere front-end solution that enables operators to deliver an enriched TV experience to any screen. Nuevo Siglo already provided OTT content on tablet and mobile and is now partnering with 24i to include Connected TV screens in their offering. 24i’s Smart Operator enables OTT delivery of a rich TV experience to all connected devices, including Smart TVs and game consoles. It delivers the familiar experience of live TV and video-on-demand, and extends it with many features, including Pause & Restart TV, personalized user profiles & recommendations, Cloud PVR, and SocialTV. The Smart Operator technology ensures the user enjoys a uniform experience on all devices. With the appointment, 24i and Nuevo Siglo enter into a long-term agreement, as the Smart Operator is employed in a license-based model. Eduardo Mandía del Castillo, Sales & Programming Director of Nuevo Siglo, comments: “To serve our customers with the most complete offering, it was vital for us to extend the reach of NS Now to include Smart TVs and game consoles. While doing this, we wanted to keep the same interface that users recognize from their tablet and mobile. 24i’s track record shows that they are more than capable of delivering on this goal.” Martijn van Horssen, CEO of 24i, says: “Our Smart Operator is suitable for this project because it is a platform-agnostic product that can be fitted to any back-end system. It can be integrated with Nuevo Siglo’s current technology framework without adjustments from their side. We are excited to work with Nuevo Siglo, our first Uruguayan client, on this project.” 24i demonstrates its Smart Operator solution at the IBC trade fair in Amsterdam, hall 14, booth L05 until September 16th.

24i named Finalist in the Streaming Media Readers’ Choice Awards 2017

Industry leading Internet TV app leader honored to be amongst the finalist in the industry recognized Streaming Media Readers Choice award 2017. Amsterdam, The Netherlands, August 16th, 2017, 24i Media, an industry-leading global TV app developer for the world’s top media companies, today announced that it has been named Finalist in the category “Best Multiscreen Solution” in the Streaming Media Readers Choice Award 2017. Nominated by fans and peers alike, 24i and our turnkey, world class TV app solution, SmartOTT, has been named Finalist in the 2017 Streaming Media Readers Choice Award,  in the category for “Best Multiscreen solution”, a category covering Over-the-top and "catch-up" solutions for delivering television content online to multiple devices, including set-top boxes, smart TVs, mobile phones, tablets, and more. Big thanks to everyone who voted for us! “Streaming Media readers are sophisticated users of technology and we’re thrilled by the fact that they’ve noticed our products and casted their vote on us,” said Martijn Van Horssen, CEO at 24i Media. “We’re proud of our broad range of internet TV apps offerings we have, enabling our customers to create flexible and personalized apps across all devices.” Powerful and flexible, SmartOTT, is a turnkey TV app solution for all devices, empowering leading operators, broadcasters, media companies and content owners across the world to seamlessly create, manage, distribute and monetize their premium content across all networks and devices. Powered by 24i’s proven AppCore production framework, the template-based SmartOTT solution ensures fast time-to-market and proven UI & UX. Learn more about SmartOTT. Meet 24i Media at IBC, booth 14.D30 24i Media will be showcasing their feature rich set of TV applications including SmartOTT and SmartOTT Backstage at IBC, booth 14.D30 in Amsterdam, Sept 15-19. Drop by our stand or book a meeting to discover how you can leverage 24i’s next generation tools and technologies to stand out from your competitors and capitalize on our flexible and proven solutions and take your Internet TV ambitions to the next level. About 24i Media (www.24i.com) 24i is an industry-leading global TV app developer with award-winning technology that helps customers develop and deploy apps faster and more efficiently on all devices, screens and platforms. 24i empower broadcasters, content owners and operators with future-proof and flexible tools to create and monetize personalized TV apps, while accelerating time-to-market and reducing cost. 24i’s technology framework powers the digital experience for leading brands around the world, including RTL, Fox Sports, Viacom, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Globo, RTE, NPO, Fuse Media and many more, delivering state-of-the-art OTT apps, designed to maximize ROI, create seamless consumer experiences and build personalized engagements across all platforms, turning viewers into fans. 24i Media is headquartered in Amsterdam, with offices in Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Copenhagen and Brno. For more information, please visit www.24i.com.