Lattelecom launching new advanced TV platform

Latvian telco Lattelecom is to launch a new TV platform combining its entertainment offerings spanning TV, series, films, user-generated content and eSport under a new brand, Helio iTV.

Helio iTV will replace Lattelecom’s current interactive TV platform in stages from the end of this month, providing what the company says will be a more advanced TV viewing experience. The service will be available initially on TV, smartphone and tablet, with a web-based version to follow. Functionality includes ‘follow-on’ capability, where users can start watching a programme on one screen and pick up from where they leave off on another.

The mobile app for the service will also include the ability to set recordings and reminders, while the Helio iTV service will allow users to create multiple profiles to find content they prefer more quickly.

Lattelecom said the brand was created to have resonance outside of Latvia’s borders, for example encompassing coverage of the recently launched Baltic eSports League, which is followed in Estonia and Lithuania as well as Latvia.

Helio iTV will be the overarching brand for all of Lattelecom’s existing entertainment offerings, including Surface TV, Shortcut, advanced advertising services, Lattelecom’s 360TV channels and the Baltic eSport League.

Lattelecom chairman Juris Gulbis said that Helio iTV would provide “an entire entertainment ecosystem” that would be highly user-friendly and enable subscribers to find the content they were interested in.