Mobile application "LOOK +"

Surely each of you, habrizhiteli, looking at the TV, not once wanted to launch something heavy into it - the linearity of this stream and the inability to rewind advertising (or pause or watch an interesting fragment again) irritated so much.

For many of us, the main source of information has long been the Internet, in which you are your own boss and the “manager” of information flows. Therefore, switching to the "analog" format of TV channels, in which someone decides for you what you are watching now, causes rebellious feelings and the desire to "steer" yourself.
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If we are talking about movies, then, of course, there are no problems - during the very first commercial break, thousands of sensible people who value their time get up, take a laptop or tablet and download a movie from the Internet, since there are unlimited tariffs and dedicated services. For the same 3 minutes that goes advertising, you can download the movie and continue watching, but without advertising a new shampoo.

And what to do with sporting events? What to do when it is not one match, but a whole Olympiad with a dozen or two contests running in parallel? You want to see more, be aware of the most exciting moments and share the victory of your favorite athletes, while not giving up your studies / work / personal life ...

The guys from MegaLabs decided to save their time and nerves to millions of Russians and developed the LOOK + application.



Recall that more than two years ago, the mobile operator MegaFon created the MegaLabs company. The main task of the new structure was to introduce products to the market that are not directly related to MegaFon’s core business. For example, MegaLabs launched such services as MegaFon TV, MegaFon-Taxi, MegaFon Money, MegaFon Navigation, Trava and Megadisk.

In this post, we want to tell you about a new product, the mobile app “LOOK +”. It is designed to view streaming video, primarily sports events, on tablets and smartphones, and access to additional information.

“LOOK +” has become an important step for MegaLabs in the video market. We asked Andrey Kushnarev , Director of Content and Media for MegaLabs, to tell about the features of this application, the goals and immediate plans of the developers.



Question: Andrei, how did the “LOOK +” project start?

- With its seeming simplicity, “LOOK +” is the result of a great research work done by MegaLabs. We tried to create this application to the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. This is due to the fact that, firstly, “MegaFon” actively participates in the sports life of the country, and, secondly, “LOOK +” according to the functionality incorporated in it is perfect for comfortable watching sports broadcasts and receiving additional information about athletes, teams, events in the world of sports. Also, “LOOK +” can perform the function of the second screen: when a user watches a competition on TV, he receives various additional information on his mobile device and can also discuss what he has seen with friends. If you don’t have a TV at hand, then our application will allow you to watch this or that sports event via the mobile Internet or Wi-Fi.

Question: Could you tell us more about the function of the second screen?

- The Olympiad is one of the most informative events when dozens of channels simultaneously broadcast, including in different languages. Therefore, when creating “LOOK +”, we proceeded from the fact that viewers need to be given an opportunity to watch everything that happens at the Olympics at any given time. In particular, the application will be able to broadcast 6 federal channels, 17 channels for sports, of which 2 channels are for hockey. Additionally, the daily awards ceremony of winners will be broadcast.

The second important function of the application will be the ability to find a record of a user missed event. Search will be carried out by keywords that we call "moments". That is, these will be original bookmarks in the recordings (this is called “logging”), according to which he will be able to move quickly at any moment of the broadcast recorded by us or view the entire recording.

To ensure this opportunity, we work closely with Panorama (for reference, Panorama received the rights to cover the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014 and the XXII Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. The organization signed an agreement with the French sports marketing agency Sportfive, which the International Olympic Committee commissioned the sale of rights).

The editors of Panorama, using special equipment, will log all broadcasts, and we will use these logs and broadcasts in our application, which will allow loading moments into our service less than a minute after they are shown on the air. That is, even if the user on his main device, even if it is a TV, did not turn on the recording of the broadcast and missed an important point, for example, a goal, then on the “second screen” in our application will be able to immediately find the necessary “log” and see the missed. And it is in the broadcast, and not in the video. For Russia, this is the first experience of using this approach to providing access to content for mobile users.

Plus, in order to make it easier for users to navigate events, we created a broadcasting network that is currently happening at the Olympics: click on any event and watch. There will also be an opportunity to put a reminder to see this or that event. I think it is really convenient!

For clips we will have a separate section. Make videos will be special editors, these collections will be some kind of finished works.

Question: Will there be any additional features in “LOOK +”?

- Of course, it is not just about broadcasting some materials on the user's screen. Our application allows interactive interaction with content, allows you to communicate with the community, that is, it has social functions. We believe that this will be claimed by users, will allow to engage a person in the process, making him an active participant in events, rather than a passive spectator.
Also in the application will be available, for example, a medal credit by country, a video archive by category. But we focus on the content - such a quantity of video content, first of all in real time, will not be on any broadcast channel!

Question: How many people will work on preparing and logging content?

- I can not say how much will work on the part of Panorama, because my colleagues organize broadcasting for the whole of Russia, I’m not afraid of this word, but we will have two editors. These editors have special software that allows you to automate and simplify many processes. But this is only the very top of a huge iceberg. I would like to note that, in fact, several software complexes will be involved in ensuring the operation of “LOOK +”. For example, in Panorama, a special system uploads and dynamically adapts content. Our systems are engaged in “strapping”: one - by authorization, the second - by registration, the third - by the delivery of content to the mobile user, the fourth is responsible for the frontend, etc. So the editors are only a small part of the team working to ensure that the client can take advantage of everything that we have come up with in LOOK +.



Question: Then how many people are needed to cope with the processing of 23 broadcast channels and all the functions you have invented?

- Most of the work is automated. The editors themselves will perform more safety function. For comparison, now we also have two editors who control about 100 channels of MegaFon TV. As for the Olympics, most of the work on the preparation of content falls on the staff of "Panorama". The work of the other systems depends on us and our other partners, but we have already completed most of the processes in the two years of MegaFon TV. Perhaps new to us is working with logs, “moments”. However, for the Russian user, as I said, it will also be a novelty.

Question: How many people worked on the creation of "LOOK +"?

- In general, our application was completely created from scratch, we had brainstorming for weeks, inventing how these or those elements should look and work. In total, 8-10 people participated in this initial process, including interface specialists, content managers, and MegaFon TV managers. Later on, many others took part in the project: editors, marketing, support and operation services, engineers, lawyers and many others. I can not give the exact exact number. However, the backbone of the team is about 15 people who are constantly involved in the process, and at the most advanced, the managers of the MegaFon TV project. Taking this opportunity, I want to thank my team separately!

Question: The implementation of the application itself on mobile platforms was performed by your employees?

- No, it was an external team. But interfaces, for example, were fully created in MegaLabs and with the active participation of colleagues from MegaFon. Developed versions for iOS and Android, have not yet been ported to Windows Phone. The application can be downloaded both in the AppStore and in Google Play.

Question: Are you ready for such a high load necessary for high-quality broadcast of the Olympiad?

- Yes, to ensure the uninterrupted and timely operation of our services, we will also use MegaFon TV's backup capacity. Our project is scalable, we do not see bottlenecks here. Moreover, MegaFon TV has recently begun to actively grow and develop. Nevertheless, we do load tests every day, it is important to prepare for the Olympics. We are not afraid of the influx of spectators, we are ready for this. Force majeure can also be, we all understand, but we will be ready, believe me.



Q: Will your app be free?

- Yes. Moreover, video on the mobile network for MegaFon customers will be free. For subscribers of Beeline and MTS - in accordance with the terms of the tariff plan.

Question: Will the ads be displayed?

- There will be only that which is broadcast by the channels themselves, the law forbids us to interfere with the broadcasting program. The remaining 17 channels created specifically for “LOOK +” will go without advertising and even without voiceover, to provide a feeling of complete immersion.

Question: Then what will be the profit scheme?

- For MegaFon, this is part of the image strategy. Besides “SEE +”, “MegaFon” will present a lot of interesting things to the Olympics.

Question: What needs to be done to start using "LOOK +"?

- First you need to become a user of “MegaFon TV” to get a login and password, which will be valid for “LOOK +”. This can be done from the "LOOK +" application. Such an account binding does not impose any financial obligations on the user. Registration is very fast, users of Beeline and MTS, as I said, will be available content of the service. By the way, subscribers of other operators can already use the MegaFon TV service.
I stress that no one will ask you for additional money for registration and use of "LOOK +".

Question: Will it be possible to use “LOOK +” abroad?

- It will only be possible to see the schedule of broadcasts, and the videos themselves, unfortunately, will not be available, we have a blocking on a geographical basis. This is due to the agreements that we have signed with content providers - they are tightly tied to the territory of the Russian Federation.



Question: You said that users will be able to navigate the “moments” set by the editors. Will it be possible to record some piece of broadcast by yourself?

- No, this will not be possible. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, this requires a very high-quality technical implementation, because users have an extremely diverse fleet of mobile devices that have different processors, memory size, settings, etc. In order for this to work correctly, you need to spend more than one month on development and testing. And secondly, it will be very simple to violate the aforementioned copyrights, which will be automatically violated if you allow users to upload recorded content to the Internet. Nevertheless, it is possible that this functionality will appear in subsequent releases of “LOOK +”

Question: How can users share information, that is, how will the social function be implemented?

- MegaFon's slogan: “Create your own Olympics”, so, of course, you can “like” in “LOOK +”, you can post a link in social networks. If your friend has an application, then clicking on the link you posted will get to the broadcast at that time (or that video clip) that you “like”. If the application is not installed, it will be offered to install it.



Another feature of the application is the built-in chat (it will be available only to Facebook users), while watching you can discuss what is happening with friends using Facebook and VKontakte logins. Your replicas and replicas of your friends will go on top of the broadcast video, so that you can discuss everything online.



Thank!

Link to application: AppStore | GooglePlay