TORONTO — Telus is adding a dedicated hayu app to its Optik TV service interface to enable its Western Canada customers to easily access NBCUniversal International’s all-reality subscription video-on-demand service.
Telus customers in B.C. and Alberta can now access NBCUniversal’s hayu service directly within Telus Optik TV, via either channel 336 or from the app home page. Telus is the only carrier in Canada to offer customers a dedicated hayu app directly within the TV interface, the company said in its news release.
“Since launching in Canada over one year ago, hayu has grown to become the premiere destination for must-have reality TV,” says Hendrik McDermott, senior vice-president, Branded On-Demand, NBCUniversal International, in the news release. “We are thrilled to now partner with the innovative Telus Optik TV platform and make hayu even more accessible for reality TV fans in Western Canada.”
The addition of hayu to Optik TV’s theme pack options makes it even easier for reality TV fans to stream to their hearts’ content, Telus says. In May 2019, Telus launched a new, streamlined packaging structure for Optik TV which, for the first time in Canada, featured streaming services bundled directly within traditional TV packages. When Optik TV customers include hayu as part of their TV package, their hayu subscription fees will appear directly on their Telus bill. Best of all, customers will pay less in total than with separate bills, Telus says.
“As Canadians continue to have greater choice in sources for their favourite content, Telus is simplifying the home entertainment experience by providing more flexibility and value to Optik TV customers than ever before. Given the widespread popularity of reality TV, we couldn’t be more excited to offer hayu streaming,” said Blair Miller, vice-president of Consumer Products, Services and Content at Telus. “hayu’s innovative model delivers any genre of reality TV that fans love, with the majority of shows available the same day they air, making it an excellent addition to Optik TV’s lineup of integrated apps.”
While Canadians are big fans of reality TV in general, Western Canada stands out as some of the most die-hard fans, according to Telus. When looking at who watches Keeping Up With the Kardashians on hayu the most, Alberta ranks within the top three provinces, and two thirds of Western Canadian subscribers tune into the Kardashians regularly, the news release says.
hayu delivers thousands of hours of top reality content, curated in one place, with more than 7,000 episodes from more than 250 reality shows, including Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Real Housewives and Million Dollar Listing franchises. The platform offers extensive choice, with a wide variety of unscripted sub genres including: Home and Design, Dating, Cooking, Crime, and Fashion — as well as nostalgic favourites such as The Simple Life and exclusive content, such as Love Island (UK and Australia).
For more details, visit telus.com/hayu.
