Simplestream makes headlines, selected to power all the GB News OTT services

LONDON, 13/07/2021 --- Simplestream – the global leader in live, live-2-VOD, and on-demand OTT services – has been selected by GB News to power a range of brand-new OTT services. GB News is the newly launched British free-to-air television news channel. The latest digital offering complements the service’s mass-reach traditional linear television distribution strategy via DTH, DTT and cable through increased reach and consumer engagement.

Built on Simplestream’s proprietary App Platform, the project encompasses a fully customisable, powerful framework for seamless delivery of premium content, without of the box functionalities for live and on-demand consumption. It includes a fully automated live-2-VOD integration for automated catch-up generation, plus the removal of broadcast adverts, allowing for dynamic ad replacement.

The GB News app is free and initially launched on desktop, Android, and iOS. It is due to be made available across all major platforms by the end of 2021.

The launch has garnered significant interest. Over one million unique users accessed GBNews in the first three weeks; 900,000 hours of content were consumed across all digital platforms, with 33 minutes of playtime, on average, per unique user.

Commenting on the successful launch, Dan Finch, Chief Commercial Officer, Simplestream, said:

“We confidently delivered a complex project within a very short turnaround time of only eight weeks, from the design phase through the build and release of the applications and embeddable web players.Since its launch, GB News gained over 200,000 downloads from app stores, with high average ratings, which are testament to the popularity of the channel and the scalability of our App Platform".

GB News’ Marc Schipper, Chief Operating Officer, said:

“We undertook a rigorous procurement process which validated the technical robustness and flexibility of the Simplestream solution. A very pleasant additional benefit was the ‘can-do’ and positive attitude displayed unfailingly by the Simplestream teams towards what was certainly not the least challenging set of tasks.”

Simplestream’s App Platform is a fully managed, end-to-end solution to enhance premium content across devices, supporting a range of monetisation models. App Platform can be rolled out in as little as 6 to 12 weeks for broadcasters, content owners & telcos, in a single territory or internationally, across all major platforms.

The launch follows similar projects Simplestream has recently undertaken for UK broadcasters like A+E Blaze, Sony Kids, CBS, and UKTV.

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Media contact 

To arrange an in-person briefing or to find out more about this project, please contact Marco Lorenzi at marco.lorenzi@simplestream.com or +44 (0)20 7 930 7809.