PRESS RELEASE
Food Network and Travel Channel Feature in Entertainment Offering
Friday 20th June 2014 (London): TVPlayer, the free TV streaming app for mobile and tablet, today announced a licensing deal for popular lifestyle entertainment channels Food Network and Travel Channel, including their plus ones, from Scripps Networks UK & EMEA.
Food Network and Travel Channel are the only dedicated lifestyle entertainment channels on the platform and include programming such as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa and Andy Bates Brazilian Street Feasts on Food Network and Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days, World's Greatest Motorcycle Rides and Coach Trip on Travel Channel. Both channels will now be available to watch online for free, via TVPlayer.
The channels being added collectively account for 5% of total TV viewing in the United Kingdom, according to BARB. TVPlayer already carries a comprehensive range of music, news and entertainment channels, including the main channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and FIVE.
The new channels are being added to TVPlayer today, taking the total channel offering to over 40 channels. Additional licensing deals will be announced over the summer, meaning TVPlayer now has more licensed channels than any other live streaming app on the market in the UK. Main new functionality released in the June update includes iOS Push Notifications, meaning that TVPlayer can now remind its users of important events and the addition of new channels.
Scripps is uniquely positioned to share its content with worldwide audiences as it owns the vast majority of the content it produces. In partnership with Simplestream, Scripps is able to leverage its high quality programming with deep rights cleared for TVPlayer, enhancing the consumer experience for viewers alongside linear TV.
Adam Smith, Founder and CEO of the Simplestream Group plc, the owner of TVPlayer, said "We are delighted to welcome Food Network and Travel Channel to TVPlayer, offering our users a great selection of premium programming. The addition of Scripps channels form the start of a series of updates over the summer period, which will add further channels and functionality to TVPlayer, culminating with the launch of our PVR service later in the year. With the number of set top boxes currently in the market, we think the TVPlayer app offers a welcomed alternative to tech-hungry audiences, who are looking to watch TV on their mobile and tablet devices whilst they are out and about as well as at home."
"Distributing Food Network and Travel Channel via an OTT solution is an exciting step in providing another way for consumers to watch our content on platforms that are convenient for them, and it's an exciting venture to partner with such innovators like TVPlayer. Food Network and Travel Channel offer compelling food and travel lifestyle entertainment. TV Player is a seamless place to watch the channel whenever consumers like, whilst also enhancing Scripps' cross-platform offering," commented Kate Bradshaw, Head of Digital, UK & EMEA, Scripps Networks International.
About TVPlayer:
TVPlayer is an OTT platform launched in the UK by Simplestream, which streams live TV across multiple devices from some of the UK's favourite free-to-air broadcasters.
About Simplestream:
Simplestream, founded in 2010, has grown to become a leading provider of multi-platform live streaming and catch-up TV services to broadcast and media companies. Its Media Manager, Media Hub and Media Player technologies simplify over the top (OTT) video operations and work-flows. Offering a cost-effective SaaS pricing model, Simplestream's services are optimised for the sports, music, news, entertainment and retail sectors. Please go to www.simplestream.com for further information.
About Scripps Networks International
Scripps Networks International is the global development arm of Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (NYSE: SNI), a lifestyle media leader across the food, home and travel categories. Scripps Networks International operates Food Network and Travel Channel in Asia; the United Kingdom; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); as well as the Asian Food Channel in Asia and Fine Living Network across EMEA. Scripps' international business also has a significant presence in Canada, which includes HGTV Canada, DIY Network Canada and Food Network Canada. The division's global offices are headquartered in New York City and Knoxville, Tennessee, with regional offices in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
About Food Network UK
Food Network delivers a fresh approach to food programming and celebrates everything that is bold, fun and entertaining about the genre. It is not your typical ‘how to' cooking channel. It is one of the fastest growing lifestyle and entertainment brands on Freeview channel 41, Sky 262/263, freesat 149/151 and on Virgin 287 packed with award-winning cooking and competition shows.
Foodnetwork.co.uk is the 24/7 companion to the TV channel. Find daily TV listings, episode guides, chef biographies, recipes featured on air, blog posts and more. Recipes are organised by season, ingredient, chef, course, and cuisine make meal planning easy.
Food Network UK is owned by Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI), one of the leading developers of lifestyle content for the television and internet worldwide. Its sister brand Food Network is one of the most popular networks on US television and www.foodnetwork.com is the leading food website in the US.
Find us on: www.foodnetwork.co.uk and sign up for our weekly food newsletter or join us @foodnetwork_uk on Twitter and facebook.com/FoodNetworkUK.
About Travel Channel
Travel Channel is the world's leading international travel broadcaster, transmitting 24 hours a day in 21 languages to 130 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Travel Channel International is part of Scripps Networks International, the global development arm of Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. The company's lifestyle media portfolio also comprises popular lifestyle television and internet brands Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, Cooking Channel and country music network Great American Country. Travel Channel can be found on the following platforms in the UK, Virgin Media - channel 288, Sky channel 252/263 and on freesat, channel 150.
More information can be found at www.travelchanneltv.com.
