Bringing breaking news and entertainment to your living room
Samsung South Africa and News24 have announced the development of the first locally developed Smart TV application in Africa, an application designed to provide consumers access to the latest in breaking news and lifestyle content from the comfort of their living rooms.
“This application development demonstrates that Samsung is constantly initiating change to ensure that consumers are always exposed to a quality, innovative and interactive viewing experience and today, with the demand for smarter lifestyles and need for constant access, there is no doubt that offering consumers rich and relevant content enables them to live the ‘Smart Life’,” says Corrie Labuschagne, Product and Marketing Manager for TVs at Samsung South Africa.
Samsung Smart TV
The Samsung Smart TV News24 application is accessible on all Samsung Smart TVs, from the mid range (D5500) upwards, and offers the consumer access to news, sport, finance, motoring, entertainment and lifestyle related content. This application includes a scroll news ticker displaying the latest top stories across the bottom of the TV screen as well as an auto run option of the ticker, ensuring the user never misses any breaking news. Furthermore, the consumer has the option to select and open any story from the ticker or select the full screen view to browse the latest content.
Furthermore, this application also provides the user with the ability to navigate between stories and sections with ease - using the arrow keys on the TV remote - giving the viewer the option to switch between stories and gain a full overview of content available. But best of all is that the squeeze back TV window pane within the application allows the viewer to catch up on the latest news without missing out on their favourite TV show.
Free download
Should consumers wish to download the application, it is free of charge and will be accessible from the Samsung Apps Store via the Smart TV UI. The News24 application is available for download on all Samsung Smart TVs in September 2011.
“News24 users want to be able to get breaking news whether they’re in front of their PC, using their mobile phone or watching television. Internet-enabled TV is clearly the next big thing and so the News24 app is the next step in offering our users an integrated digital experience across all platforms,” says Ronald Bach, Product Manager News24
“Samsung Electronics South Africa is committed to delivering upon consumer expectations and through these types innovations believe we are continuing to do just that – in identifying key needs and requirements of the consumer and business market alike. In fact, this year we hope to bring out at least another five locally developed TV applications, if not many more, that address the core needs of our consumers. It is through these joint ventures with leading brands locally that our goal to develop strong content, creating smarter lifestyles, will be met with no hesitation and will continue to demonstrate Samsung as a leading technology innovator,” concludes Labuschagne.
