The changing landscape of Philippine television moves another notch higher as the Kapatid Network introduces its TV5 Mobile App to give viewers a richer viewing experience with its second screen content. As the network’s response to the changing global media landscape, the TV5 Mobile App is the first of its kind that allows users to live stream their favorite Kapatid shows for free as they get exclusive access to various mobile content and real-time interaction with fellow app users and TV5 viewers.
The technology is the fruition of years of effort on the part of TV5 management and staff, together with the MVP group of companies, particularly PLDT and Smart, to establish TV5 as a frontrunner in digital broadcast media. In a world, where boundaries no longer pose formidable obstacles to the flow of ideas and information, the new TV5 Mobile App (which can now be downloaded for free from the Google App Store) opens new horizons for televiewers and provides a sea of change to the traditional concept of the “passive†viewer of television into more interactive and dynamic engagement between the audience and the programs that they follow.
TV5 president and CEO Noel Lorenzana shares, “The TV5 Mobile App could be considered as the realization of what we have been saying as the convergence among different TV5 media partners, all coming together to give the viewer or audience the widest range of choices on how he or she gets information or entertainment in our day and age.â€
The mobile phone has turned out to be the most handy means of getting your message across regardless of time or geographical barrier. Given the technology we have right now, TV5 is making its mobile presence felt in the most remarkable way — offering a range of products from your standard news and entertainment programs to video on demand and the Second Screen Experience, which gives viewers real-time interaction and access to exclusive perks such as coupons and a chance to win cool prizes. Indeed, television has transformed beyond the so called “boob tube†into a world where wireless communication rules, and the TV5Mobile App stands at the forefront of this television revolution. “We are proud of the technology that TV5 has developed given our membership with the MVP group and the prowess of our telecommunications partners in SMART and PLDT,†Lorenzana adds.
Time and again, the Kapatid Network has always emphasized its mission to provide quality and reliable service to the Filipino people, wherever they may be. The new TV5 Mobile App allows the network to be there when our people need them the most. Nowadays, one does not need to put up TV sets and antennae to see TV5 shows because wherever mobile data is available, one can have access to TV5’s various shows and program offerings.
A foretaste of how the mobile app changes one’s viewing experience would be in our new drama series JasMINE, which promises something unique as it “blurs the lines between reality and fiction†with its second-screen content made possible through the TV5 Mobile App. The app allows users to step into the world of JasMINE by giving them exclusive content both from their television and mobile screens. Fiction crosses to reality through the app’s Tune-In feature where users can access never-before seen footage and stills, behind-the-scene content, in-depth character profiles, mystery clues, story extensions and special live streaming. Viewer sentiment and engagement can even be measured through the JasMINE Feelings-o-Meter, the app’s Chat function and real-time polling. JasMINE fans and TV5Mobile App users can even get rewarded as they “Tune-In†through contest entries in promos, coupons and freebies redeemable through TV5 partners.
So how does the TV5 Mobile App benefit viewers, advertisers and the broadcast industry in general? “I foresee the strengthening or closer intimacy between our viewers and us, as a broadcast network. We are a public service institution, so increasing public participation or engagement with our programs will help us define our services better and more effectively in the future,†Lorenzana discloses.
In terms of business outlook, he is hopeful that the TV5 Mobile App encourages our stakeholders to look more closely into how the audiences react and use people’s viewing choices as an indicator of what the public or consumer would want of their respective products or services.†In a sense, the TV5 Mobile App allows us to have a better idea of who our market is, not only for TV programs but commercial products as well as we can now draw more precise information about our audiences and thus gain better knowledge and appreciation on their likes and dislikes. It is also a great vehicle for a wider public to know and appreciate us more.