In this customer corner, we have a chat with Justin Steel, Global Channel Manager at INSIGHT TV, the Ultra HD channel of international broadcaster TV Entertainment Reality Network (TERN). Haymillian has helped the channel reach audiences across the globe since 2016 through the provision of multilingual dubbing and subtitling services.
Launched at MIPCOM 2015, Insight TV is in its third year of operations. Can you tell us how Insight TV came to life and why the focus on delivering content in UHD?
When INSIGHT TV launched, we knew we had to do something very different to what was already available to ensure we stood out. This meant taking leadership for the type of content we commissioned and produced, and also how that content was created, which left one option, UHD HDR at 50fps. This was a huge challenge, but the results show that the company made absolutely the right decision. Three years later we’re at the forefront of this television revolution, making UHD HDR programmes that appeal to all demographics including Generation Z and Millennials.
In February, you announced a distribution deal with German cable operator wilhelm.tel. How has your content been received in Germany and other parts of Europe?
Major distribution deals with Wilhelm.tel, MEDIA BROADCAST and Deutsche Telekom over the last 12 months continue to highlight our success in Germany. In the past year, in Europe alone, we have also signed distribution deals with Siminn (Iceland), Swisscom (Switzerland), Vodafone Spain and more. We also have key partnerships such as Samsung. Samsung TV PLUS users can access up to 500 hours’ worth of original UHD content, free of charge in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom; and Amazon, which allows us to deliver our popular HD SVOD and linear TV services to Amazon Prime members in the UK and Germany as part of the Amazon Channels service.
These are highly-respected names in the industry and working with such valued distribution partners is a great way for us to broaden our reach. Our goal is to provide our viewers with the most entertaining UHD content possible and these platforms serve as an invaluable way for our content to reach new audiences.
Insight TV has grown very quickly since it launched and is now available in many countries across the world. What advice can you give to other channels looking to expand internationally?
It’s important to establish strong strategic partnerships that compliment your philosophy to achieve maximum success. Distributing content is very different in Europe than it is in the US or Asia, for example. You have to understand these differences and adapt to ensure you’re producing and delivering the right content to the right market and audience.
Insight TV can be viewed on linear TV, streamed online and even on the go via your dedicated App. Do you see a difference in viewing preferences and habits per region?
The difference in viewing habits is clearer by demographic than it is by region. In much of the world, the way in which we consume television has completely transformed in the past two or three years: now we can watch what we want, when we want and where we want in the highest quality, and we can use social media whilst we’re watching to share our experience. Statistics show that our viewing habits, size of screen, sign up to subscription services and how often we watch TV is likely to be dependent on our age. Baby boomers and Generation-X are still watching the big screen (the bigger the better) whilst Millennials and Generation-Z are more likely to be plugged into YouTube on a phone, tablet or a laptop.
You’ve been working with Haymillian since 2016 when we began dubbing and subtitling content in German and Portuguese. We recently finished a huge project together where we dubbed 500 hours of your spectacular content from English to Spanish. Can you relate your experience and where do you think Haymillian makes a difference?
Our proven good working relationship while working on German and Portuguese versioning gave us huge confidence in allocating the Spanish work to Haymillian. We pride ourselves on good business relations and Haymillian have applied the same principal’s as a vendor. Communicative, flexible and always delivering on time makes it very satisfying for us as a customer with tight deadlines to meet.
