TEL AVIV, Israel, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Applicaster, a cutting-edge provider of broadcast solutions for cross-screen TV experiences, was selected by MegaFon, one of Russia's leading mobile operators, to offer enhanced Sports viewing experiences on second screens for 2014 World Cup and additional sports tournaments. SMOTRI+ TV app, developed by Applicaster, was successfully launched earlier this year, with over 600,000 downloads for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and an additional 150,000 active users for the Hockey World Cup. SMOTRI+ functionality has been expanded to support additional features and sports tournaments including the Football World Cup 2014.
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OJSC MegaFon is a leading Russian universal telecommunication service provider, operating in all segments of the telecommunications markets in Russia. The Company and its subsidiaries have licenses to operate in all of the Russian regions and in the Republics of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Tajikistan. Through a variety of sponsorships and partnerships, MegaFon actively promotes the development of sport in Russia, and plans to broadcast a variety of international and local sports events via SMOTRI+.
The SMOTRI+ app was created and is serviced by Applicaster for MegaLabs, a wholly owned subsidiary of OJSC MegaFon. The app enables viewers to watch live broadcast of sports events, access exclusive content, and get an aggregated stream of the most exciting and memorable moments of each game in the various tournaments. SMOTRI+ also offers an EPG for browsing the tournaments schedule, placing reminders for select broadcasts, share experiences online on social networks and invite Facebook friends to watch the competitions together.
"MegaFon is keen on providing its users with the most engaging mobile experience, via offering fast access as well as interesting and exciting content," says Andrey Kushnarev, Director of content and media at MegaLabs.
"Usage of SMOTRI+ to date was a huge success and we are committed to continue and provide our users with live and play-by-play engaging sports programming wherever they wish to watch it," he concluded.
"Sports fans all over the world always seek the best way to watch sports events in real time, especially when a game takes place in a different time zone. With SMOTRI+, MegaFon offers that excitement of live experience, which is easily shared with friends online. It also gives viewers a chance to see what they have missed by aggregating the greatest moments of each game," said Jonathan Laor, Applicaster's CEO.
"Working with MegaLabs for introducing our technology to the Russian market is a great achievement, as Russia is one of the markets which exhibits strong growth in all media sectors, a trend that is expected to continue in the next years," Laor added.
About MegaFon
MegaFon OJSC is a leading Russian universal telecommunication service provider, operating in all segments of the telecommunications markets in Russia. The Company was the first in Russia to launch 3G for commercial operations. In July 2012 MegaFon was awarded one of four ten-year licenses for the provision of 4G/LTE services throughout the entire Russian Federation and has already started providing these services in 50 different regions. The Company is a leader in the provision of mobile Internet, and in the number-two position as to the number of active subscribers in Russia.
In 2009, MegaFon was selected as the Mobile General Partner of the XXII Winter Olympic-Games and XI Paralympic Games held in Sochi in 2014.
About Applicaster
Applicaster is a cutting-edge provider of white label broadcast solutions for cross-screen TV experiences, empowering world-leading broadcasters and formats. Applicaster's solutions include live and on-demand TV, CrossMates digital format, second screen, synchronized and social TV experiences, and engaging apps that support any business model. The rich layers of daylong & play-along engagement and branded entertainment transform viewers from receptive audience into active participants and consumers. Together with its powerful management and analytic tools, Applicaster enables broadcast operations to quickly address the business and technology challenges of TV technology as it evolves. Applicaster is backed by Greylock IL. http://applicaster.com
Media contacts:
Megafon:
Roman Sokolov
Business Communications OJSC «MegaFon»
Tel +8 (926) 8209802
Email
Applicaster:
Sharona Meushar
Tel. +972 74 702 3211
Email
Follow us on twitter: @applicaster