A1 Telekom Austria launches youth-focused OTT TV service

A1 Telekom Austria has launched an OTT TV service aimed at a younger audience.

The OTT service, a1now.tv, will provide users with live and video-on-demand content across sport, music and entertainment, including matches from the Austrian Football Bundesliga – for which A1 has signed to be an official rights holder – and lifestyle content from Red Bull, as well as coverage of eSports competitions and A1now originals productions.

A1 said that it was entering the content production business with a focus on eSports, music and lifestyle content from Austria, kicking off with coverage of the ÖSV Freeski team as it prepares for the World Cup in the US in Freeski Sessions.

A1 Telekom Austria has created a three-person team comprising Jasmin Dickinger, Johannes Natterer and Tanja Sourek to lead the project, working with online content creators to develop Austrian content for the platform.

A1 has teamed up with sports video platform Sportradar to launch the service.

Sportradar recently launched Sportradar OTT, with a newly developed engine and core that connects Sportradar’s range of sports data with video capability. Clients have an even greater and more refined ability to enhance the user experience, create content, engage with fans, increase audiences and therefore generate more revenue.

More than 25 partners have signed up to Sportradar’s video distribution capabilities within the last 18 months, including Borussia Dortmund, Deutsche Telekom, ITF Davis Cup and Fed Cup and the International Table Tennis Federation.

Managing director OTT at Sportradar, Rainer Geier, said, “We are proud to extend our existing long-standing partnership with A1. We put a lot of work into our next level OTT product that allows our clients to connect video and data and contracting partners like A1 and Borussia Dortmund endorses the value of that work. The partnership with A1 is a long standing one and one of genuine cooperation so it is particularly rewarding to be able to carry on that work.”

Tanja Sourek, co-head of A1now TV creation/marketing and sales at A1 said, “We are continuously enhancing the content offering we put in front of our customers. The launch of the A1now OTT platform is another important step for us in this direction. We look forward to creating new ways of engagement with this OTT product and Sportradar is a great partner for us in realising these ambitions.”