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 aims to 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 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 . 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 such as 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 .

“ The delivery of the next generation RTÉ Player is hugely important for RTÉ ’ s future ,” remarked Múirne Laffan , RTÉ ’ s chief digital officer . “ It is a sophisticated proposition that will position us to meet evolving audience expectations and compete within a highly competitive , globalised media environment .”

“ 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 ,” advised Aoife Byrne , director of content and products for RTÉ ’ s digital division . “ 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 : ondemand 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 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 .”

Magine , Foxxum launch OTT linear TV experience

The new Magine Smart TV

app developed by Foxxum is set to launch on all devices

using a Foxxum TV Store such as Blaupunkt , Haier , Hisense , JTC , Medion , Metz , Orion , and Sharp in Germany .

OTT service Magine TV allows the streaming of all wellknown German TV channels , from public to private broadcasters and pay-TV , over the Internet . Magine TV offers the German TV market a product to compete with

cable TV , satellite TV , or the DVB-T2 services launched early this year , as the service will be available on every device but without the need to buy a smart card or a new receiver .

“ We are very pleased to join forces with Foxxum to make Magine TV ’ s web streaming service available on all kinds of high-class Smart TVs and reach an increased

number of connected homes ,” declared Rafael Heuer , director business development of Magine TV Germany . “ With the Magine TV app and our variety of TV packages , all audiences will find a suitable and easy way to enjoy public and private broadcasters as well as pay-TV channels over the Internet on the big screen in their living room .”

New-look BT TV app

Following the redesign of the BT TV YouView user experience earlier in 2017 , BT has launched a new look BT TV app for smartphones and tablets . The BT Player experience is also available for laptops . The new app is available to all BT TV customers at no extra cost and lets them watch live channels and on demand

programmes in line with their BT TV subscription .

All subscription content offered by BT TV is available via the app which means customers can enjoy a wide range of live channels on demand , wherever they are .

In addition , the new app also provides a seamless experience between the BT TV Player on the set-top box and

the customer ’ s smartphone or tablet through a number of key features including ; watching a programme where they left off , recording programmes remotely from their device and saving programmes to watch later by adding to their favourites .