Freeviewplus Goes From Strength to Strength

Freeviewplus Goes From Strength to Strength

Press release | Tuesday 17 January, 2017

The free On Demand and live TV platform, created by Freeview in partnership with leading free-to-air broadcasters TVNZ, MediaWorks and Māori Television, has seen consistent growth since launching in July 2015.

There are now over 100,000 FreeviewPlus enabled devices throughout the country, and over 220,000 FreeviewPlus devices have been sold.

Sam Irvine, Freeview General Manager, believes that the growth to date is just the beginning. “Now more than ever, Kiwis are looking for simple, good value viewing options, and we believe an element of FreeviewPlus’s continued growth is certainly due to that.

“In a complex world where we find ourselves increasingly overwhelmed by choice, Freeview provides refreshingly simple solutions. Our range of options, all free, give Kiwis the ability to choose what best suits their viewing needs - whether they want to be able to watch live TV, On Demand, or to record.

“We're delighted with the results that have been achieved over the 18 months since launch, and the progress FreeviewPlus continues to make. We’ve also got some exciting developments planned this year, that will make the viewing experience even better for our users,” says Irvine.

FreeviewPlus was the first TV platform in New Zealand to combine Live TV and On Demand, allowing viewers to watch it all on their TVs, and is free to access via any FreeviewPlus TV, set top box or recorder.

Irvine says that despite Freeview’s success, there's still something of a misconception regarding the quality of programming available on free-to-air.

"It’s interesting that some viewers still think that if you're not paying a regular subscription fee, you're not getting the best content, which just isn’t the case.

“Viewers can find 96 of New Zealand’s top 100 programmes[1] on Freeview. There are world class TV shows, movies, sport and radio programmes from leading broadcasters, including TVNZ, MediaWorks, Māori Television, RNZ, Prime, Choice TV, Al Jazeera and more, available to enjoy for free.

“There’s a wealth of great local content like Attitude, Find Me a Māori Bride, Our Big Blue Backyard, The Mo Show and Country Calendar, and the latest seasons of top international blockbusters such as Humans, and Sherlock.

“The broadcasters bring us films like The Dark Horse, Frost Nixon and documentaries like In The Shadow Of The Moon and Marley - as well as cult hits and major sports events like the Olympics and NFL,” says Irvine.

FreeviewPlus also features some fantastic On Demand content – from the likes of Friday Night Bites, The Boardroom, to YouTube sensations like Simon's Cat, and kids’ favourites like Pokemon XYZ, Wiki the Kiwi and Paw Patrol.

ENDS

© Scoop Media