NEW FEATURES

Livestream improvements: This feature enhances end-user communication about when a program is available on a Livestream. (OTT-449)

• There is a provided field for a Field59 VMS RSS schedule feed when creating a Livestream category on OTT. This RSS feed allows us to inspect the available times for programming and inform the user the next time a live stream is available during non scheduled time. The live stream is currently offered in a category and offered on the feature row.
• If the schedule says a stream is not active in both places, the thumbnail becomes a placeholder and does not allow the user to click through to the player.
• When a user hovers over the icon, an overlay will appear that informs the user the next time a live stream will be available.
• The metadata for Program Title and Time will be pulled from the Field59 VMS RSS schedule.
• Coming Up: is a hard-coded message.
• If no Field59 VMS RSS Schedule is provided in association with the asset, the app will operate as it always has. 
• The user will be able to click on the Live Feed and whatever the stream is feeding, or not feeding, will appear.

Preview Player: This feature adds a preview player on the pre launch or home page of the application. (OTT-459)

• The preview player highlights videos that are selected in the feature row and video on demand row.
• Metadata associated with the video featured in the video player is displayed in the Video Preview area as well.
• This feature does not work with the Standard layout. Customers must be using the pre-launch design in order to launch the preview player.
• This is an optional choice in the admin and can be turned on and off dynamically.
• Documentation for the preview player can be found here.

New Category: With this release, all customers that use BLOX CMS for their main website will be able to create categories utilizing this feature. (OTT-460)

• When creating a new category for OTT platforms, new articles with video category has been a beta feature in the OTT Admin. New articles with video category inspect articles in Editorial Assets to retrieve metadata and match it with videos that are attached to articles as child assets.
• The entire category will append the rule to pull metadata from articles with child video assets.
• Documentation for the new category can be found here.

Activation: This feature introduces the ability to offer users to sign in to your OTT application to unlock premium features: Recommended Videos, Resume Watching, and Save across devices. (OTT-469)

• This is the foundation piece for user authentication in the applications beginning with the ability to collect email addresses in the BLOX user system.  
• The user will be offered a "code" on the application and instructed to visit a URL specific to your site to log in or create an account. 
• Documentation for activation can be found here.

Recommended Videos: The addition of Recommended Videos provides viewers with recommended content (videos) based on their watch history and interests. (OTT-454) (OTT-511)

• This premium feature is accessible for the end-user when they sign in by interacting with the Activation Screen.
• This feature is offered to our iQ Engage customers that have BLOX CMS, Lotame, and BLOX user authentication.
• Recommended Videos is a cross-platform feature allowing the tracking of users' history and interest across desktop, mobile web, mobile apps, and OTT.
• Documentation for Recommended Videos can be found here. 

Resume Watching: The addition of Resume Watching  allows users to pick up videos where they left off. (OTT-455) (OTT-512)

• This is a cross-platform feature meaning that if a user starts watching a video on desktop, mobile web, mobile apps or OTT, they can finish watching them on your OTT Application.
• This premium feature is unlocked for the end-user when they sign in by interacting with the Activation Screen.
• This feature requires a customer to have BLOX CMS, BLOX User Authentication and Field59 VMS.
• Documentation for Resume Watching can be found here.

Saved Videos: The addition of Saved Videos allows users to save videos directly from the video player and then display the videos in a category. (OTT-513)

• This feature can be a cross-platform feature meaning that if a user saves a video on desktop, mobile web, mobile apps or OTT, they can access that video on the OTT platform.
• This requires a customer to have BLOX CMS and/or BLOX Now app. If you are not using BLOX CMS, the save feature will function in a silo on the OTT apps and users can save videos during their OTT sessions per platform.
• Documentation for Saved Videos can be found here.

ADDITIONAL

App Info: If you have settings set up in your application, you can now add a new category: App Info. (OTT-470)

• This shows the version name and build number for your application. This helps to troubleshoot what version a user might be on when reporting issues.
• Documentation for App Info can be found here. 

Background: The background of the OTT apps is usually an image provided during the onboarding process. We have added the option to use a background color to override the image. (OTT-497) 

• This image is hard-coded in the app and takes a new release to update.
• This override can be used while customers are waiting for an update or just prefer to use the background color.
• The background color override is offered in the new Customizations Tab in the OTT admin.
• Documentation for the background color can be found here.

IDFA: In this release, TownNews Now APPs will begin offering Request App Tracking Transparency authorization, which is a consent prompt asking for user consent for tracking. (OTT-503) (OTT-505)

• The Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) is a random device identifier assigned by Apple to a user's device.
• Advertisers use this to track data so they can deliver customized advertising.
• The IDFA is used for tracking and identifying a user (without revealing personal information).

IMPROVEMENTS

• Home navigation placement and casing have been controlled through experimental settings in the OTT Admin.  This release will include a more robust way to control the Home navigation. Documentation for the home navigation can be found here.

• Search has been an option on OTT only if the Video Management System (VMS) provided could offer an API to be used on the individual application. This release introduces a universal way of providing Search to all customers.  Search now uses our own BLOX Search API to return search results in customers' OTT applications. (OTT-453) Documentation for search can be found here.

• Customization Tab: In this release, we are offering customizations that have been hard coded in your application or controlled through experimental settings. There is a new Customizations Tab in the OTT Admin as well as new sections in the Configuration Tab. (OTT-452) Documentation for customizations can be found here.

 BUG FIXES