Ontario's educational mediacaster TVO is partnering with Polar Mobile on cross-device application development and digital content delivery.
Toronto-based Polar Mobile uses its own development platform to create branded mobile apps across all smartphone devices; winner of a 'Promising Company of the Year' award at the 2010 Canadian New Media Awards, the company has worked with major newspapers, magazines, sports properties, media outlets and now, TVO.
The first product from the new partnership is a mobile app for BlackBerry smartphones; Apple iPhones; Android and Windows Mobile smartphones that will deliver TVO's flagship current affairs program The Agenda with Steve Paikin.
The mobile app will give users access to episodes of The Agenda with Steve Paikin; all of the show's blogs; YouTube videos of the program; and all Twitter feeds related to the program. The app will also include TVO's live broadcast TV schedule.
The app will launch in late summer as part of TVO's Your Vote 2011 suite of multi-platform resources that are helping Ontarians engage in the issues that are shaping the debate in the lead up to the Ontario election in October.
The development of TVO's cross device apps offerings is part of TVO's aggressive digital strategy designed to make its educational content available to more people, anywhere at anytime.
"Our new partnership with Polar Mobile is allowing us to further the reach of our educational content," said CEO Lisa de Wilde. "We're excited to be able to use digital media to bring The Agenda with Steve Paikin to a new audience."
"A strong mobile strategy is key for any media brand to be successful, and we are very pleased TVO has decided to use Polar's SMART Platform as an integral piece of their strategy," added Kunal Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Polar Mobile.
TVO recently launched mobile apps that teach children math on BlackBerry smartphones, Polka Dot Shorts and Flower Frenzy; and its first app for BlackBerry PlayBook, called My Canada. This follows last year's launch of Melvin's Marvelous Words, TVO's early learning iPhone app.