Adding to the pool of over-the-top (OTT) TV and video offerings the local market has seen of late, Purple Turtle Media recently introduced an online TV service catering to the local Christian market.
The company - started in 1998 as a video production company, before venturing into live productions and satellite news gathering - says its OTT online TV system, TVonDevices, is locally designed and developed.
TVonDevices enables customers to view Purple Turtle's portfolio of channels - including FaithTV, ChristTV, Kruiskyk, CNBC and Bloomberg TV - on any Internet-enabled device, without the need to download apps.
CEO Ric Spear says the approach simplifies matters for channel owners, who do not have to manage different app stores and device compatibility. The platform can be used with existing streaming and content delivery networks, or supplied with Purple Turtle streaming solutions and global streaming delivery as per the broadcaster's needs.
Spear says the new system was launched about a month ago, for the Eastern Cape-based company's existing broadcast clients, as a live beta. "So far, the performance has been stable and we will be moving to a full launch shortly."
The devices currently being tested include PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android KitKat devices, and LG Smart TV. Soon, says Spear, support for OperaTV will be rolled out, allowing users of Sony and Blu-ray players to view TV online via the OperaTV store, on their connected TV.
Spear adds the Purple Turtle user interface is uniform across all devices, giving viewers the type of TV experience they are used to on a satellite decoder for TV. "Electronic programme guide support is available for channels that support it."
Broadcaster focus
Purple Turtle's goal is less user- and more broadcaster-focused, says Spear. The company supplies broadcasters with tools to enable them to offer online OTT video. "Marketing and promotion is [the broadcasters'] baby. We focus on the technology, so they can focus on delivering TV."
Many of the channels on offer are free streaming services, offered by broadcasters as value-adds to their current packages. Purple Turtle's system is designed to support free streaming and provides a central user interface, notes Spear.
He says, while video-on-demand (VOD) is on the company's to-do list, there are players who have that market in the bag already. "[VOD] only works if you have enough content that people actually care to watch, and that content pool needs to be deep.
"YouTube has a massive selection of free content and [especially in Africa] free is better than cheap, so we have elected not to put a lot of focus on areas that do things better already - at least for now."
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