When exactly will the transition of O2 TV customers to the new Oneplay platform be complete, and why has it been staggered into so many stages?
We are now finalising the last part, which should be done in the coming weeks. By the end of June, the entire base should be completely migrated, and O2 TV will cease to exist.
What were the biggest unexpected challenges during the transition to the new platform?
The most obvious problem occurred on the very first day, when unfortunately, our service went down for two hours due to a database failure within Amazon’s AWS. It was supposed to be zero-downtime service, and there should have been an automatic capacity increase, but that didn’t happen. There was another fifteen minute outage the next evening, but we haven’t experienced any massive problems since then.
As expected, we are still experiencing minor technical problems. Even though we spent two years preparing for the migration and four months testing the final version, a real deployment will always show a million different combinations - TV type, hardware, software updates, home connection and other factors. It’s only in live operation that these issues start to become apparent and are resolved.
Are you still dealing with any transition-related issues now?
We are currently dealing with isolated issues that affect perhaps tens to hundreds of users. Fortunately, our customers communicate well, and their feedback allows us to address individual issues effectively. Overall, the quality and availability of the service are already close to the level that customers were used to with Voyo. We will be fine-tuning minor technical improvements for a few more weeks, but overall, we are on track.
Many people have experienced problems due to older equipment. How many users have been affected by these limitations, and how have you addressed this?
Unfortunately, we had to stop supporting some of the oldest devices. Voyo has historically supported the widest range of TVs dating back to 2013-2014, but the new service is more technically challenging. Customers started advising each other on social media about what devices, like Chromecast or different set-top boxes, to get to make the service work. It’s great to see that the user community was able to help itself. Of course, we tried to advise them as well.
One user experience: Why do I have to manage my subscription through a web browser rather than directly in the app?
We haven’t managed to implement this functionality yet. The service is large, and every time we launch something this big, not all the planned features fit into the first version. However, we have this functionality in the roadmap, and it will be available in a few weeks to months. We have deliberately tried to launch the service quickly, so some things have been deferred to later updates.
Voyo is still working in Slovakia. Do you have any plans yet to merge this service with Oneplay?
Not yet. At the moment, we are fully focused on completing the migration of O2 TV in the Czech Republic and getting users used to the new service quickly. We are going through a sensitive period right now, as people have lost the services they have been used to for years and have been given a product that looks different and in some cases is more expensive. We need to get through this period, and then we will continue to build customer satisfaction.
The Voyo brand was already well established. Isn’t it a shame that it’s now being replaced by a new platform?
The Voyo brand has been really successful, and we have invested a lot of money and energy in it. People are asking a lot about this change. When we started the re-launch of Voyo four years ago, few people believed we would grow from 60,000 users to a million and become a major streaming service and love brand. Now we are starting again, and we believe Oneplay will be even more successful.
Why did you decide to create a new Oneplay brand instead of developing your existing services?
Many people laughed at me and said I had lost my marbles when we started building Voyo as a strong brand with the goal of growing to a million paying customers. Very few people really believed that. Ironically, the same people ask me today why we cancelled this successful brand. But the decision had a rational basis - we were combining two different services, pure streaming Voyo and classic IPTV O2 TV.
Our goal was to create an entirely new category of services, not just enhanced versions of existing products. We are creating a central point for Czech households where they can find quality Czech content, live TV, plenty of sports and other interesting shows. We are convinced that such a big change should be underlined by the new brand, and we believe that Oneplay will soon become a love brand for Czech households.
Did the reasons for the merger also include concerns about a potential decline in the future popularity of O2 TV?
Globally, we see a trend of pay TV declining in favour of streaming services. In America, Western and Northern Europe, this trend has already happened. In the Czech Republic, the pay TV market has been stagnant for the last three years. That’s why we wanted to combine the most successful Czech IPTV with our streaming service in time to prevent future decline and offer users a unified and comprehensive service.
Do you still have any plans for the original Voyo brand, such as using it in other countries?
At the moment, this is not yet decided. We are focused on successfully completing the integration in the Czech Republic. Other possible markets for expansion are Slovakia and Romania. In each country, we will decide individually, depending on the market situation and the available options. For example, in Romania, we do not have a telecom operator, while in Slovakia, our operator is relatively small. The decision on whether we will use the Oneplay brand or keep Voyo has not yet been made.
Is it possible that you would extend the Oneplay concept to countries where you are not yet operating?
So far, we are only focusing on countries where we have strong TV stations or telecom operators. These factors are key to the success of a streaming service. For example, in Serbia, we launched Voyo in cooperation with the Yettel operator, although we don’t have a TV station there, and we use content from Croatia and Slovenia. So, there is the opportunity for cross-border expansion, but it has to make business sense.
How did the name Oneplay come about, and what other names did you consider?
We considered hundreds of different names. Personally, I was closest to the Voyo brand for a long time, but we knew we couldn’t use it. We needed a simple, easy-to-pronounce name. Other options included Vixo or Epic, which we ended up not using because of trademark complications. In the end, we chose Oneplay because it met our requirements.
Source: Petr KoblihaHow has your content strategy changed since the unification of services?
There have been no major changes in our original production, fiction and documentary, we continue to grow. We are adding more shows and reality shows, which are very popular with the younger generation. For example, this summer we will launch a new reality show called The Farm. In addition, we are significantly expanding our sports offerings as the new service has combined the content portfolio of both platforms. Oneplay will thus offer viewers a unique combination of exclusive quality content, including sporting events.
What place does news have in your strategy?
News is a key pillar of any great television. Our TV news (Televizní noviny) has long been the most watched news programme in the Czech Republic. In recent years, we have also strengthened our journalism and political debates.
You described news as an important part of your strategy. What are your future plans in this area?
News is key for us, whether it is linear television or digital platforms. Nowadays, people don’t want to be tied to a specific airtime, so we distribute our content across different channels such as social media, our website TN.cz or YouTube and TikTok. This allows us to create a wide reach. We have also recently expanded our digital channel, TN Live, where we are testing new formats and faces. Gradually, we want to turn it into a full-fledged digital news and lifestyle channel with new shows, including podcasts.
You buy shows from Czech Television. Is it profitable for you?
Buying content from Czech Television is a must for us because we want to be the biggest platform with local content. Voyo had the largest range of Czech and Slovak films and series, which continues with Oneplay. Czech Television produces quality content, which we regularly buy, although it is not cheap. I can’t give exact figures, but the volume of content we buy is growing every year.
Source: Petr KoblihaHow do you try to reach young viewers?
Nova has historically always targeted a younger audience, and that is still the case. Our main target group is viewers aged 15 to 54. We invest in content that appeals to young viewers, such as reality shows. This year, for example, we will launch a new reality show, The Farm, which is successful in Slovakia. We also have other popular formats such as Survivor or Love Island. Reality shows are most successful on the digital platform, while shows like crime dramas are more popular on TV. We try to distribute content in a balanced way between the digital platform and TV, which helps us reach a diverse audience.
How much revenue does Oneplay generate for the Nova Group?
We don’t disclose specific figures, but I can say that Voyo already had a double-digit share of total revenue. TV advertising accounted for about 60 per cent of revenue last year, with the rest coming from other sources, including the digital platform, which is now in its second year of profitability.
Source: e15.cz