Pelephone Launches SuperTV

Sunday, May 10th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

Four years since it started the 3G revolution in Israel, Pelephone changes the rules of the game once more with SuperTV, the ultimate mobile TV experience.

SuperTV, an innovative television interface developed specifically for Pelephone by Ericsson, beeweeb and Balora offers HD quality, 3.75G, H.264 protocol, 192 KB rate and QVGA resolution for viewing and zapping between TV, music and VOD channels with complete programming functionality.

Pelephone CEO, Gil Sharon: “Pelephone was the first company to realize the future of TV content is in the cellular platform and to channel its development efforts in this direction. SuperTV is a world class, innovative multi-channel TV service which offers the familiar home TV experience with digital programming, zapping, VOD and much more.”

Pelephone’s VP and GM of the VAS division, Guy Bauman, “With SuperTV, Pelephone is leveraging the forefront of technology to provide subscribers with high quality, comfortable and enjoyable TV experience on an innovative platform developed especially for us. We expect most of our subscribers to adopt the application within one year to benefit from exceptional viewing experience”.

Pelephone is raising the bar of the cellular industry again with the inauguration of unique TV interface for cellular devices. With the launch, Israel joins a small number of other countries which benefit from this new multimedia interface. SuperTV, Pelephone’s new offering for cellular subscribers was developed in collaboration led by Ericsson, the Italian digital interface designer beeweeb and Balora, the Israeli Product Design Company. Pilot TV broadcasts in the new format are underway and a beta version will be offered free of charge for the first month on most high speed GSM devices. Consequent mobile TV packages will cost ILS 9.9 per month.

SuperTV provides Pelephone subscribers with the highest quality viewing experience available today on cellular devices. Stylish graphic interface offers EPS, folder toggling, fast zapping and up-to-date programming functionality. SuperTV runs on 3.75G technology with H.264 video format streamed at a rate of 192 KB, and QVGA resolution. Built into most of Pelephone’s HSPA devices, the application allows users to view dozens of channels on TV, music and VOD universes.

Addressing the reporters in the press conference held on the launch of SuperTV, Gil Sharon, CEO of Pelephone, said, “Pelephone was the first company to realize the future of TV content is in the cellular platform and to channel its development efforts in this direction. As the leaders of cellular content, we continually satisfy the preferences of our customers, witnessing growth of tens of percents in content consumption every year. The viewing habits on cellular are becoming very similar to home television and I believe the new network and the sophisticated technology it features, in combination with the right end device, is now mature for longer viewing on the cellular platform. SuperTV is a world class, innovative multi-channel TV service which offers the familiar home TV experience with digital programming, zapping and VOD.”

Sharon estimates that mobile TV will become increasingly popular in the next few years especially among teenagers and young people as it allows them to consume music and television content wherever they may be. “Within 3 years, most young people will switch from home TV viewing to mobile TV, devoting approx. 30% of their total viewing time to the new platform.”

Guy Bauman, VP and GM VAS division at Pelephone, said, “Pelephone is leveraging the forefront of technology to provide subscribers with high quality, comfortable and enjoyable TV experience on an innovative mobile platform developed especially for us. We expect most of our subscribers to adopt the application within one year to benefit from exceptional viewing experience.”

Bauman added that surveys held by Pelephone towards the launch of SuperTV showed consumers would like the mobile TV experience to be similar to the home TV viewing. The respondents in these surveys highlighted the importance of convenience and simple navigation among content universes.

“SuperTV is a one stop shop; a content boutique; a simple and convenient device packaged in exceptional broadcast quality and design developed according to the Form Follows Function principle,” said Bauman.
Filippo de Vita, CMO at beeweeb, said, “Pelephone is an innovative company which places the user experience at the top of its priorities, as can be seen from the launch of SuperTV. Pelephone has commissioned us to create a sophisticated yet simple and fun product. It took us months of teamwork to reach the next level in the evolution of cellular multimedia client. Together, we created a widget-based interface, one of its kind in the world, to serve as the flexible, dynamic platform for future developments,” concluded Mr. De Vita.

SuperTV offers three content worlds: TV, music and VOD. Each universe offers dozens of channels sourced through agreements with the largest media organizations in Israel and abroad, including Keshet, Reshet, the News Company, Channel 10, Yes, Hot, Aneney Tikshoret, Media Most, Viacom, Universal, Turner, Warner and more.

The rich offering of the TV world includes live channels and broadcasts in Hebrew, English, Arabic and Russian; news channels such as Channel 2, Channel 10, CNN, Al-Jazeera, Channel 9, “Race To A Million” Channel and Keshet; entertainment channels include Yes, Hot Israeli Entertainment, Beep, and the stand-up channel; Sports channels include Sport Live 5, One, and the basketball super league; Children channels include Nickelodeon, Dora, Mickey Mouse, Logi, the Children Channel, and more; musical channels include hundreds of genre channels such as the rock-’n-roll, Mediterranean music, black music, hot hits, the Menta channel, and more.

The premium VOD channel offers paid-for content. Examples from the current portfolio include episodes from YES’ “The Arbitrator:, “Celebs” and “Our Song High school”, “Eretz Nehderet Special”, the champion league, the super model league, and a Israeli film channel with classics like “Metzizim”, “Halfon Hill doesn’t Answer”, “Alex is Lovesick”, “Snooker Party , “The Band”, and more.

To watch the demo of the application please click here