Opera Software ASA announced the next generation of its HTML5-based Opera TV application platform at CES 2016.

For more information visit: www.opera.com

Unedited press release follows:

New Opera TV 2.0 debuts at CES 2016

More than 1,000 Smart TVs, Blu-ray Disc players and set-top-box device models will get greater consumer engagement and a more tailored viewing experience

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2016 — INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW (CES), Smart TV, Blu-ray Disc player and set-top-box manufacturers will now be able to offer their viewers an interactive content discovery experience with Opera TV 2.0. Making its debut at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016, the next generation of this popular HTML5-based application platform provides a tailored and engaging OTT viewing experience that also creates new after-sale revenue opportunities for manufacturers and operators.

“Consumers today want a dedicated video experience where app content is delivered to them based on their preferences, location, language, and what content is new,” says Aneesh Rajaram, Senior Vice President for TV & Devices at Opera. “Opera TV is a turn-key, Smart TV solution with a truly global footprint. We’ve made it simple for operators and OEMs to deploy, allowing them to easily differentiate and monetize personalized content offerings.”

Opera TV 2.0 is a managed cloud solution that provides a wide selection of popular OTT content – including video channels and clips, movies, apps, games and live TV from sources such as CinemaNow, Crackle, IGN, Feeln, Pitbull, Paula Deen, Red Bull, TED, Washington Post and Young Hollywood, among others – directly to households. A new user interface (UI) organizes recommended, trending and most popular HD movies, videos and channels into neat rows, incorporating Opera curation for increased user engagement. This UI can be customized for increased viewer stickiness, with curation and promotional scheduling system tools in place for enhanced personalization.

Monetization opportunities and billing support
Opera TV 2.0 comes with fully integrated support for video advertising with Opera Mediaworks ad-serving mediation platform, used by more than 19,000 sites and apps across smartphones, tablets and connected TVs with 1.1 billion audience reach worldwide. Content owners and manufacturers can rely on Opera’s fully managed monetization service, as well as leverage the self-service tools for their directly sold campaigns.

This new version also simplifies billing support with the seamless integration of a PayPal-powered certified payment solution. The solution supports multiple markets and currencies with account authentication done securely through a second screen. Premium content owners can also charge customers for premium content access through our billing API.

Opera TV 2.0 to premiere on Hisense Smart TVs
Opera TV 2.0 is coming to Hisense Smart TVs in the first quarter of 2016. Hisense is the fourth-largest global TV manufacturer, and this recent integration extends a partnership begun in 2013.

“Hisense believes that technology should make what we want to do, where we want to go and what we want to learn easier,” says Charlie Wang, Vice President of Hisense Group. “Opera TV 2.0 maximizes the capabilities of today’s Smart TVs by delivering to consumers highly-customized content based on their viewing habits and preferences.”

Availability and demonstrations at CES 2016
The Opera TV 2.0 update will be introduced to millions of other viewers worldwide this year on more than 1,000 Smart TV, Blu-ray Disc player and set-top-box models from other manufacturers. CES 2016 attendees can experience Opera TV 2.0 at the Opera TV (South Hall 2 Meeting Place #25270) and Hisense (Central Hall #8152) booths at CES 2016.

About Opera TV
The Opera TV portfolio powers rich web experiences on tens of millions of Smart TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players and chipsets for more than 60 customers. The Opera TV ecosystem spans the Opera TV Store app platform with hundreds of entertaining apps tailor-made for TV, the Opera Devices SDK (software development kit) for creating and rendering HTML5-based user interfaces and the Opera TV browser for reaching the full web. Opera TV offers solutions for OEMs, pay-TV operators, broadcasters and content publishers. With the Opera Mediaworks advertising platform, Opera TV can help monetize and drive traffic to content through an end-to-end advertising solution. Visit www.opera.com/tv/ to learn more.