BROADCASTER STV has announced the launch of its restart feature – also known as the Green Button – on its Freeview Standard and High Definition channels.
The first commercial broadcaster to introduce the function, Broadcast Restart enables viewers to restart selected programmes immediately, directly from the channel they’re watching. Viewers activate Restart by pressing the Green Button on their remote, which then loads the programme from the beginning from the STV Player.
The function is available on pre-recorded programming across the STV broadcast schedule, such as Emmerdale, Coronation Street, all upcoming dramas, Catchphrase, The Masked Singer and a range of factual programming.
Initially available on Freeview, STV are exploring other platforms to extend the service to other users across Scotland.
Richard Williams, Managing Director, Digital at STV said: “Nobody wants to miss the first five minutes of their favourite show or a brand new drama and this is another way of providing brilliant content at a time and a place that suits viewers. The launch of Broadcast Restart on STV is an exciting development and this is just the beginning. Initially available on Freeview, we’re already exploring other future platform launches. It’s a fantastic feature, enabling viewers to jump easily from the broadcast environment into the digital, restarting shows at their convenience at the click of a button.”
The Hybrid broadcast broadband TV [HbbTV] service from leading communications infrastructure and media service company, Arqiva, was selected by STV to run the service on Freeview.
Drew Hosie, Head of Product at Arqiva, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with STV to support the launch of its restart service on DTT and Freeview Play, offering an innovative service to help it stay ahead of what is an immensely competitive and challenging environment. Our flexible offering allows STV to precisely control the availability and launch of their HbbTV applications to their viewers. As well as offering a Hybrid TV solution, Arqiva manages the complexity of deploying, monitoring and associated data analytics, so STV doesn’t have to. Enhancing the viewing experience is always front of mind for our customers, and this is an exciting development for our Hybrid TV product which we expect to see more broadcasters taking advantage of in the future.”
