Ten today launched its overhauled website and app and hopes to boost its uptake by streaming the first episode of Homeland this afternoon 15 minutes after it airs in the states. Over time it's all about the move away from linear TV and serving ads to individuals.
The network's initial aim for Tenplay is to make it easy for customers to watch content when and how they want it. The network has to move away from linear viewing habits, where it continues to struggle for audience share versus the other two networks. Chief digital officer Rebekah Horne has spent the last six months getting the platform ready. She said it was challenging but worth the pain.
Horne said the aim was to put together a platform that initially did a few things well, then refine over time. It was built with scalability in mind, she said.
Ten will hone personalisation of content and ads over time. Both cookies and sign in will be used to capture data that it will overlay onto the customer data it has already pulled together. Ten said it had already acquired 97 million online video views over the last year.
Horne said that users would have to log in for some content and services, but that it would be “upfront” about the transaction; consumers understood free digital content required give and take, she said.
She said there was a need to look at TV ratings more holistically than just overnight figures from OzTam and that a number of conversations were taking place within industry as to how that might look.
For now, Tenplay is available on Apple iOS and Sony Bravia TVs. An Android app is due around the end of the year. The service should also be available on new consoles including the Xbox One and the new Playstation.
Initially Tenplay deliver catch-up TV, content streaming and a 'continuous play' function that means people can watch TV across any device from there they left off. Which means advertisers can follow them too.
Horne said that more “content, features and functionality will be added, plus deep integration with Zeebox”. For now, she's glad to get it out the door.
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