Website Shop Twitter LinkedIn

Project Overview

ABC iview has established its position as Australia’s most popular on-demand or catch-up TV service(Nielsen’s Online Consumer Report February 2012). With 48% of online Australians aged 16+ having accessed iview, the ABC’s internet television service continues to reach Australians in record numbers, through innovative new ways.
In June 2012, iview measured a new record of 9.1m program plays that month across all platforms, and extended its reach to millions of Australian mobile devices with the launch of ABC iview on iPhone and iPod Touch, with streaming made available for the first time over 3G connections.

Organisation

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Team

Arul Baskaran - Controller ABC TV Multiplatform
Sally O'Donoghue - Manager iview & Internet Broadcasting
Bruce Collier - Technical Lead, TV Multiplatform
Jake MacMullin - Senior iOS Developer, TV Multiplatform
Mark King - Operations Lead, TV Multiplatform
Penny Wright - Manager, iview Scheduling & Acquisitions
Carmine Mastrantone - Design / UX Lead, TV Multiplatform
Hamish Dobbs - Project Manager

Project Brief

To extend ABC iview to iPhone and iPod Touch, enabling Australian TV audiences to watch over 3G connections, in addition to WiFi. Features of a universal iOS app would include iCloud syncing of your Watchlist (programs saved to watch later), and the ability via iCloud to start watching on one device and resume watching on another device from the point where you left off. It would support AirPlay and allow users to continue watching iview on their big screen while using other apps. It would also utilise encrypted HLS (adaptive bit rate streaming) so programs automatically adjust to available bandwidth and network conditions, and support closed captioning for the deaf and hearing impaired, and users who choose to watch with captions. Currently more than 350 hours of content are available at any given time, including primetime catch-up from the ABC and ‘iview exclusives’ acquired specifically for iview.

Project Innovation / Need

ABC iview on iPhone had been the most requested service since the launch of ABC iview on iPad. Extending iview to iPhone is an innovative response to changing audience behaviour, preparing for the future and for the explosive growth of the mobile internet. This extension was considered necessary to maintain iview’s market position as Australia’s most innovative and widely used online TV catch-up service. Gartner predicts worldwide mobile accesses to the web will overtake desktop accesses by 2014. This trend is also reflected in the behaviour of ABC iview users on laptops / PCs and iPad. With Google reporting 52% of online Australians now owning a smartphone, the ABC is responding to the ongoing technological advances that allow for increased audience mobility and access.

User Experience

The app design is a simple, standardised up-down-left-right version of the iview web UI. The design can be easily adapted to suit other new mobile platforms. The UI ensures the fewest possible steps between browsing and searching content, and watching a program. Channels and animations have been removed, the focus has been placed on categories and fresh content. Homepage modules are now: Featured Programs, Recently Added, Last Chance to Watch, and Watchlist. User feedback has been extremely positive:

‘ABC does it better’ by Unzy: Once again ABC Australia know how to put a useful app together. We can watch the shows we want, when we want to.

Brendan Codrington ?@brennycod : Did I mention how excited I am that @abciview app is now on iPhone? Can now stream onto TV, and love the watchlist. Bravo.

Patchouli Cowgirl @PatcholiCowgirl: Serious serious awesomesauce! I can haz @abciview on my iPhone! #happydance

Kirsten Jay @KommunicateThis: I <3 you @ABCiview thank you @ABCTV for the iPhone app!

Project Marketing

Launch of iview on iPhone was taken to market via a press campaign in June 2012, and has been supported by a campaign of humorous TVCs to promote the recently re-branded iview service. As a result of the press campaign, availability of iview on iPhone was widely picked up by the mainstream press, industry sites and blogs, and shared via social networks.

“ABC fans will soon be able to watch Bananas in Pyjamas on the bus as the broadcaster today unveils its online viewing platform on iPhones. Since its launch in 2008, ABC iView has become a major distribution platform for the broadcaster and is now the most popular online catch-up TV service in the nation.” – The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/its-aunty-on-your-iphone/story-e6frg996-1226409544396

The story was featured by The Australian, PC World, TheMusic.com.au, EFTM.com.au, TechnologySpecator.com.au, Gizmodo.com.au, News.com.au, ComputerWorld.com.au, Content-Technology.com, NineMSN.com.au, TVTonight.com.au, CNet.com.au, Mumbrella.com.au, Lifehacker.com.au