Nova brings commercial radio to smart TVs
Nova’s chief growth officer Adam Johnson figures the best sound system in the house is usually connected to the television, so why wouldn’t that be the best way to listen to the radio at home?
Nova Entertainment has today launched its entire suite of radio station apps onto smart televisions – the only way Australians can listen to commercial radio through smart TVs in Australia.
The Nova Player, Smooth Player, FIVEAA Player and Star 104.5 Player apps are available to download from the Google Play store, and will initially be able to be listened to through Google TV and Android TV – the latter of which many smart television brands have installed as their default operating system.
Coles Radio and Sky News Radio, two of Nova’s partner stations, will also be available through the app suite.
Johnson tells Mumbrella the smart TV apps have been in development for around seven to eight months, and came from working out which platforms to prioritise when setting the strategy for the network’s distribution plans.
“We’re very passionate about making our content available wherever our listeners want it to be,” he tells Mumbrella. “So if our marketing team do their job, and our brands and products are salient, then it’s the digital team’s job to make sure that whatever device the listener is on, there is an app available to them.”
Johnson refers to Nova’s distribution strategy as “everything everywhere”, and to this end, they are looking to quickly expand from Google and Android TV to other smart TVs. Johnson lists off Samsung TV and Apple TV as the next focus for integration, and doesn’t rule out a future collaboration with Foxtel.
“We’ve always got good dialogue with our friends at Foxtel,” he says. “I think that we recognise that when you go on to, for example, the Hubble home screen, there are a lot of world class apps on there. And we see our player apps in and amongst those.”
Adam Johnson
It’s a smart move for Nova, and one that has taken time to implement. “It’s not an insignificant endeavour,” Johnson says.
“Ultimately, we recognise that probably the best sound system in the house these days is your TV. And therefore, to have access to all of our stations on the biggest screen in the house just felt like the next iteration.
“We continue to develop and optimise all of our other platform apps. But connected TV is the first step in going beyond those traditional audio products.”
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Can’t wait to listen live from my lounge! Every time I bump into Tim in market it’s always pretty exciting what him and the team are doing over there!