NPO Start test co-viewing function via website – Image and sound – News

The Dutch Public Broadcasting has added a function to the NPO Start website, which allows viewers to watch virtually together. Users can turn on their webcam and chat while watching TV.

The new function can be used by clicking an icon on the NPO Start website when a program is playing. After entering a name, viewers enter the NPO Samen environment. It is possible to share a link to invite other people. In the virtual space, viewers can chat or talk to each other with a microphone. An image from a webcam can also be displayed.

For the position, we collaborated with Sceenic, a company that focuses on developing interactive viewing methods. That company had won an award in an innovation competition for the Eurovision Song Contest. That event was postponed due to the corona crisis and as a result, the NPO decided to create a Samen function for its site.

NPO Samen is currently an experiment and ‘available for many programs in the coming months’, according to the makers. The feature is only available through the website, not in the mobile device apps.

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