PARIS — July 6, 2021 — Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global leader providing OTT and TV platforms, content protection, and advanced data solutions, announced today that the VO Secure Player is enabling PCCW Media, a leading, fully integrated multimedia and entertainment company headquartered in Hong Kong, to offer an innovative new “Watch Party” feature for its Now TV customers. During the ongoing UEFA EURO 2020™ football matches, sports fans subscribing to Now TV can watch live matches while simultaneously interacting with their Watch Party group through video chat for an engaging and immersive viewing experience. Now TV is Hong Kong’s leading pay-TV service.

Ms. Belinda Chan, Head of Technology, PCCW Media, said, “Live sports streaming is a competitive market, and it is critical for service providers to stay on top of emerging trends to drive better viewer engagement. With VO Secure Player, we can confidently bring our new Watch Party feature to subscribers, offering them a one-of-a-kind viewing experience. The VO Secure Player also enables real-time synchronization of premium content across all connected devices in the Watch Party group for a seamless experience.”

Now TV subscribers can join a Watch Party on Now Player iOS/Android App and Web. The VO Secure Player is embedded with Watch Together technology from Sceenic, a leading provider of interactive viewing experience solutions. The VO Secure Player assures accurate and real-time synchronization of live video across multiple connected devices, including mobile, tablets, and PCs, allowing users to hear comments and see reactions from their watch party group. A smooth, high-performance playback of both the premium sports content and user-generated live video streams is guaranteed by the VO Secure Player. Viewers also enjoy full control of the volume of both audio streams: the echo-free audio generated from group members as well as the audio delivered by the media stream running on the device.

“Now TV sets a great example of how a media entertainment company can deliver exceptional social experiences to viewers via innovative technology to enhance overall viewing experience during this challenging pandemic period,” said Dokyung Lee, Vice President of Sales, APAC at Viaccess-Orca. “The VO Secure Player plays a pivotal role in Now TV’s Watch Party service, and we are delighted to accompany Now TV on this journey to bring a unique, seamless viewing experience to sports fans.”

More information about Viaccess-Orca and its solutions is available at www.viaccess-orca.com.