STV launches SVoD STV Player+
February 25, 2019
By Colin Mann
Scottish digital media group STV is launching STV Player+, an ad-free subscription video on demand service for Scots at home and abroad. This is STV’s first direct to consumer offering and allows STV to enter the fast-growing pay-TV market for the first time.
STV Player+ will provide access to all of STV’s must-see programming in full HD, but without the ads. Subscribers will be able to catch up ad-free or watch live with no pre-roll advertising as well as download their favourite programmes for offline viewing at home or on the move. The new service will also allow subscribers to view STV content in Europe for the first time.
STV Player+ is available on iOS (Apple devices) for £3.99 (€3.51) per month after a seven day free trial, and viewers can subscribe directly from their STV Player app or download it from the App Store. The service will be available on other platforms in due course.
STV Player is the exclusive Scottish home of some of the UK’s most popular TV programmes, including the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale, big entertainment shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and I’m a Celebrity, must-see boxsets such as Cold Feet, Vera and Manhunt, and huge sporting events such as the Six Nations Rugby and forthcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup. It is one of the UK’s fastest growing streaming services.
“We are delighted to be able to enhance our offering to STV viewers,” declared Richard Williams, STV’s Managing Director, Digital. “Subscription viewing is growing, and the STV Player+ offers our viewers even greater choice and flexibility in how they watch STV, ensuring that they can access their favourite STV shows however and whenever they want, whether at home or abroad.”
In 2018, STV announced a new strategic growth plan for the business, creating a dedicated digital division to drive growth through the STV Player and deliver a personalised STV for everyone.
The service launch follows the recent announcement of strategic partnerships with both Sky and Virgin which extend the reach of the STV Player to new audiences, as well as content partnerships with a range of other content providers including award-winning pre-school kids TV app Hopster and youth-focused digital broadcaster, Little Dot Studios which provide additional programming and choice for viewers.