Watching free-to-air channels while you are on the move has just become easier with InstantTV, a mobile app developed by the folks behind RecordTV, an online TV recording service.
Launched late last year, InstantTV offers a slew of Singapore and international TV channels that you can watch on your iOS and Android devices. A web-based version of the app is also available at InstantTV.com.
RecordTV chief executive Carlos Fernandes says the InstantTV app has been doing “phenomenally well”, hitting the top spot in the Google Play store in the entertainment category in Singapore.
“We can’t disclose exact downloads, but there are many multiples of tens of thousands,” Fernandes says.
While RecordTV only offers Singapore’s TV channels, InstantTV includes Singapore and international channels from over 20 countries such as Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, United States and United Kingdom.
Fernandes says the international channels are existing video streams that consumers can access through any web player. “Think of us as a TV set with shortcut links to publicly available streams.”
In 2010, RecordTV successfully appealed against a court ruling which deemed that its service had violated Singapore broadcaster MediaCorp’s copyright.
For now, the company has no relationship with broadcasters and content providers as it considers itself a provider of technology that facilitates access to what broadcasters deliver – much like what a video recorder manufacturer does.
“That being said, there might be some synergies with broadcasters and we are happy to pursue those relationships,” Fernandes says.
Fernandes also disclosed plans to bring RecordTV’s premium features such as ad-free viewing to InstantTV – one of the ways in which the new app can be further monetised. InstantTV is currently supported by mobile banner ads.
“On a gross profit basis, InstantTV is already profitable,” he says. “Add in subscriptions and scale, our profitability will substantially increase and we would easily be profitable on a net profit basis as well.”
While InstantTV started out in Singapore, Fernandes says demand in other countries is also growing.
“Our near term focus is continuing to be successful in Singapore, while expanding usage in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand before looking toward other markets.
“Our ambition is to become a global platform for linear TV,” he says.
I subscribed to premium a long time ago. I changed my phone today and I can’t use the app. It says error when all the while I was using it.
Tried it. It’s awesome!