Opera Software has announced the launch of a next-generation TV app technology with the ability to transform online video into apps for connected TV – at zero cost and all in less than a minute. The new Opera TV Snap technology has already found its first partner in Dailymotion, the world’s second-largest video site, empowering its official users to reach new audiences on millions of smart TV devices.
According to Gartner, global unit production of smart TVs is forecast to reach 108 million in 2013. In addition to this, there will be a huge number of connected Blu-ray Disc players, streaming media players and hybrid set-top boxes. These platforms are ideal for video content owners.
Today, however, it is cumbersome and expensive for brands and content owners to develop their own Smart TV apps, even with huge video inventories sitting in the cloud – which is where Opera TV Snap steps in.
The Opera TV Snap solution allows content owners to re-purpose their online video channels and existing video inventory into ready-to-run HTML5 apps for the Opera TV Store, a smart TV app storefront supported by major television and set-top-box manufacturers.
Opera TV Snap is the fastest way to reach new audiences on the home’s biggest screen, enabling content owners to monetize their existing video catalogs through Opera’s own ad networks and similar partnerships. With no special technical skills required to transform content into a Smart TV app, Opera TV Snap breaks down the barriers to entry.
Dailymotion’s official users can now submit their channels as video apps for the Opera TV Store, simply by visiting opera.com/tvsnap, filling in a description of the channel and clicking submit. The app creation process is completed in under a minute.
“Video has proven to be the most popular app category for Smart TV audiences, and it’s no wonder as larger TV screens can bring viewers up close and personal with their favorite online content,” says Aneesh Rajaram, Senior Vice-President for TV & Devices, Opera Software.
“Opera TV Snap will help brands and content owners effortlessly reach new audiences, while bringing a greater choice of popular video to viewers. I can’t wait to watch the latest highlights from my favorite sports teams and music artists directly on my Smart TV,” added Rajaram.
“The big screen is a fast growing new territory for online video, and Dailymotion is proud to provide a new tool to its content partners to benefit from that growth,” says Vincent Martin, Vice President Media Development.
“The Opera TV Snap solution is a good example of Dailymotion’s strategy to simplify distribution and exploit content across all screens and platforms. And, for our users, it will be even easier to find their favorite content directly on their Smart TVs,” added Martin.
The Opera TV Store is an HTML5-based app platform, giving users a rich selection of entertaining apps. It has already launched globally on Smart TVs and Blu-ray Disc players from Sony and TCL, and has also been selected by Humax, Hisense and MediaTek.
As a leading website for sharing videos, Dailymotion attracts more than 112 million unique visitors and 2.5 billion video views each month worldwide – serving up the best content from users, independent content creators and premium partners.
Each app submission will be moderated to check the validity of content and the app description. Any app generated via Opera TV Snap is optimized for easy four-way navigation with a standard TV remote control. An app plays videos from a channel one after the other for a truly lean back viewer experience and links to its online video account to sync new content automatically.
