UK broadcasters sign up with TVPlayer

UK broadcasters ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5  have struck licensing deals with  streaming platform TVPlayer to simulcast their free-to-air channels across  desktops, mobiles, tablets, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.

The agreement sees TVPlayer licensing the UK broadcasters’ full line-up of channels for the first time, with ITV 1, ITV 2, ITV 3, ITV 4, ITV Be, CITV, Channel 4, More4, 4Seven, Channel 5, 5Star and Spike to become available on the platform.

The deal was negotiated by Dan Finch at TVPlayer and Neale Dennett, director, pay, content and packages at ITV, Carl Pfeiffer, head of distribution at Channel 4 and James Tatam, director of digital media and commercial development at Channel 5.

In addition to live streaming over wired internet and WiFi, TVPlayer has also licensed 3G and 4G rights for all channels.

Following this deal, TVPlayer will offer over 100 channels spanning Entertainment, Sport, Kids, News, Music and Lifestyle.

Adam Smith, Founder of TVPlayer, said: “This is a significant move for the growth of our platform. Adding the UK’s key commercial broadcasters to our growing portfolio is a major benefit to our viewers as TVPlayer provides some of the UK’s best channels in one app. Through our growing platform, broadcasters not only enjoy direct access to a younger demographic, they are also able to reach even wider audiences”

A spokesperson for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 said: “We welcome legal innovation in the channel distribution landscape and are pleased to licence our linear channels for streaming on TVPlayer.”