Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Bell Aliant FibreOP First to Bring
Facebook to Atlantic Canadians'
TVs
Future-proof FibreOP network is making
'social TV' a reality and is delivering the
best TV experience
Halifax, NS
- Bell Aliant Inc. (TSX: BA) is
bringing the world's most popular social
networking tool into customers' living rooms
with its new Facebook application for
FibreOP™ TV.
FibreOP
TV customers can now watch their favourite TV
shows while viewing their Facebook news
feeds, rate and comment on the TV show that
they are watching and view Facebook photo
albums. The free Facebook app is available
today to
FibreOPTV customers.
"Facebook has become a part of Canadians'
lives. We are excited to bring it directly to
the largest screen in the home - giving our
customers a truly interactive and social TV
experience," says Andre LeBlanc, Vice President
Residential Product, Bell Aliant. "Our
future-proof
FibreOP network was
built to allow us to innovate and develop new
services that will meet the communication needs
of our customers today and tomorrow. Social
trends are shaping where and how consumers want
to connect, and Bell Aliant is
responding."
There are more than 800 million active Facebook
users around the world and 87.5 per cent of
Internet users in Atlantic Canada are on
Facebook. This is higher than the national
average of 83.3 percent*. Social media is
changing the way television is made, watched,
and broadcast, and the rise of social TV is
expected to increase in 2012.
"Social TV is going to continue to grow as
broadcasters and content providers find new
ways to engage with their audience," says Dr.
Anatoliy Gruzd, Assistant Professor, School of
Information Management and Social Media Lab,
Dalhousie University. "TV technology and social
media are merging; according to a survey by
Ovum, about 74 per cent of TV viewers with
broadband use the Internet at the same time and
38 per cent discuss TV shows while using social
media. In the future, this trend will likely
accelerate as social TV technology becomes more
ubiquitous and easier to use."
Atlantic Canadians will be able to access six
of the most popular Facebook features on their
FibreOPTV including:
1. Viewing news feeds on their
wall;
2. Viewing profile details including
names, profile pictures and status
messages;
3. Posting status messages and notes to
their walls;
4. Rating the TV show they're currently
watching;
5. Viewing photo albums in both a
thumbnail view and full screen
slideshow;
6. Viewing friends' profiles, photos and
wall updates.
To access the Facebook app on
FibreOPTV customers need an active
Facebook account and a Bell Aliant Internet
connection. Customers can press Menu, go to
Apps and press Facebook to launch the app on
their TV. A step-by-step guide on how to set up
and use the new app is available at . The app
supports up to 10 unique Facebook accounts per
household.
Bell Aliant's future-proof
FibreOPis the only 100 per cent
fibre optic network that connects straight to
customers' homes so everything works faster,
easier and better. FibreOP is number one
in customer satisfaction because it delivers
the fastest Internet, video sharing and the
ultimate high-definition TV experience.
FibreOPTV is the ultimate TV
experience allowing customers to watch, record
and pause live TV from any room in their house
with our best Whole Home PVR. The new TV
product also includes superior Whole Home HD,
the Ultimate Video-on-Demand - with the most HD
movies and the most popular TV shows in HD, and
the Next Generation Interactive Guide, with
easy-to-use features like picture-in-picture
browsing and advanced search
capability.
With our
FibreOP
Internet product, customers have the best
Internet experience: they can upload as fast
as they download - a first in Canada for any
major service provider.
FibreOP
Internet can deliver the fastest speeds with
up to 170 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload
services. These speeds enable customers not
only to download music or movies and share
video or photos faster than ever before, but
also to accommodate the growing need for
multiple users within the home. In addition,
with our 30 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload
product,
FibreOPInternet customers can
upload as fast as they download - a first in
Canada for any major service provider.
Bell Aliant was the first company in Canada to
cover an entire city with fibre-to-the-home. By
the end of 2012, the company will have invested
almost half a billion dollars to extend FTTH to
more than 600,000 homes and businesses in the
areas we serve.
Customers can find out more about the new
Facebook app on
FibreOPor calling
1-866-FIBREOP (1-866-342-7367).
*Source: comScore MediaMetrix November
2011About Bell Aliant
Bell Aliant is one of North America's
largest regional communications providers and
the first company in Canada to cover an entire
city with fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology
with its
FibreOPservices. Through
its operating entities it serves customers in
six Canadian provinces with innovative
information, communication and technology
services including voice, data, Internet, video
and value-added business solutions. Bell
Aliant's employees deliver the highest
quality of customer service, choice and
convenience.
>>
For media inquiries, please
contact:
Sarah Levy
Bell Aliant Corporate Affairs
(902) 487-5026
sarah.levy@bellaliant.ca