TalkTalk to update TV service, launch new mobile app

UK service provider TalkTalk is to update its TV service, with the launch early next year of a a unified TV platform encompassing set-top viewing, the TalkTalk TV store and suite of mobile apps.

The company is launching a new TalkTalk TV app, which will enable users to view content on up to four iOS or Android devices and on the web, inside and out of the home.

TalkTalk said its TV customers would be able to stream, rent and buy the latest moves and box-sets through the app as well as to watch free and subscription-based channels on the go.

TalkTalk has tapped CSG International’s Ascendon platform to power the service, which it says will deliver a unified TV experience on the set-top box, web and mobile apps. Viewers will be able to pause their TVs and resume viewing content on their mobile devices.

The app is Chromecast-enabled, allowing users to stream content to other TVs than that connected to the set-top box.

TalkTalk also plans to launch a multiroom TV offering for its fibre broadband customers in 2018, in a move squarely aimed at attracting Sky customers used to this service.

“We’re focused on offering a truly premium TV service at an unbeatable price. With the internet and mobile changing the way our customers watch TV, we’ve tailored our service to suit their evolving needs. We’ve streamlined TalkTalk TV to create a more integrated and seamless experience across devices, making it even easier for customers to watch the entertainment they love whether at home or on the go,” said Will Ennett, acting managing director, TalkTalk TV.

“Together, TalkTalk and CSG have created a differentiated digital TV experience, aligned with consumer demand for access to video content anytime, anywhere, across devices. Paired with TalkTalk’s extensive content library, Ascendon creates an intuitive, multiscreen, personalised TV viewing experience for every TalkTalk consumer,” said Kent Steffen, president of global OTT business at CSG International.