Television

Thousands of free series & films on blue TV on demand: Switzerland gets ready for the future of television with Swisscom

With thousands of series, films and children’s programmes on demand, including exclusive premières and many Swiss productions, blue Play from Swisscom is a new media library being offered at no extra cost exclusively for customers of the most popular blue TV subscriptions. And blue Sport is revolutionising replay: in the future, the timeline will show at a glance when, for example, a goal has been scored.

By Annina Merk
blue TV brings joy

“We are at the dawn of a new era for television,” announced Dirk Wierzbitzki, Head of Residential Customers and Member of the Swisscom Group Executive Board, today at the presentation of the new offerings. “It’s an app revolution for television. Today’s customers don’t want to wait or limit their choice: they want it all, whenever and wherever they choose. And without an expiry date.” Swisscom first responded to this emerging need 15 years ago with Replay, Recording and Video on Demand. Now comes the next instalment: blue Play, a comprehensive media library with thousands of unlimited series, feature films and children’s programmes on demand.

Starting now, blue Play will gradually be rolled out, at no extra cost, to all blue TV customers with an M, L or X subscription. It will be accessible from the Swisscom Box as well as via the blue TV apps (for iOS, Android, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV) and the desktop player on blue.ch. “blue TV has long been the most popular television in Switzerland and now, with blue Play, is also set to become the largest streaming service in Switzerland,” explains Wolfgang Elsässer, CEO of blue Entertainment AG. “However, we are also very much at the forefront of homegrown film production, having helped to fund the Swiss film industry for the past 40 years.”

Exclusive premières and selected highlights

A separate blue Play offering is to be launched for each language region with several thousand titles available in every region shortly after the launch, including over 3,000 in Ticino, 5,000 in French-speaking Switzerland and 10,000 in German-speaking Switzerland. Complete seasons will be offered for some series. To top it off, blue Play will also be offering a selection of exclusive series never before aired in Switzerland, including the dramatic mini-series The Luminaries in French-speaking Switzerland or the thriller series Roadkill in German-speaking Switzerland as well as The North Water, the most expensive BBC production of all time, both in German and French-speaking Switzerland. On the launch date, there will already be more than 100 Swiss films available on blue Play, including Platzspitzbaby, Bruno Manser, Wolkenbruch, Moskau, einfach! and Zwingli. In French-speaking Switzerland, children can look forward to Les Aventures de Tint Tin, while in German-speaking Switzerland there will be Papa Moll and Heidi and in Ticino Pinocchio. In addition, Tatort fans will, for the first time, be able to binge-watch their favourite police procedural drama series on blue Play. Traumschiff will also be available on blue Play all year round while the Blacklist will ensure many a sleepless night in all language regions. blue Play also includes direct access to Play Suisse content from SRG SSR.

No more lengthy rewinds

Thanks to a technical innovation, live sport on blue TV is now even more attractive. The most important moments in a match, such as goals or red or yellow cards, are now indicated on the replay timeline. “So you can immediately see where and when something happened,” explains blue Sport director Claudia Lässer. “Here, too, we are responding to a need, which will be familiar to many parents, for example, who put their children to bed during a match and then wonder what they have missed. With us, they can now see this immediately at the touch of a button without the need for lengthy rewinds.”
Wolfgang Elsässer adds: “Television used to be like a fireplace around which people would gather to wait patiently for their favourite programme to start. Today, customers no longer want to scroll through the channels or check programming times. They simply want entertainment at any time at the touch of a button, which is exactly what they have with blue Play.” 

In 2022, music will also become an essential part of blue TV – see the separate press release on our new sponsorship focus.

Contact us

Media Relations

media@swisscom.com
Tel. +41 58 221 98 04

Latest news about Swisscom