EXCLUSIVE: After staging a tariff-inspired U.S.-vs.-Canada wrestling event last month, free streaming platform Zone-ify is rolling out a feature enabling viewers to play video games via their TV remote.
The Toronto-based company says it is the first native gaming offering by an AVOD service. Through a partnership with interactive technology firm ES3, a dozen game titles are packaged with the core TV experience, without requiring downloads, consoles or mobile devices. The strategy is similar to where Netflix is going in subscription streaming, with a mobile-only game offering set to expand to the living-room app in the next year or two.
At launch, the games will be available through U.S. pay-TV providers Comcast Xfinity, Cox Contour, Buckeye Cable, DirecTV U-verse and Rogers Xfinity and Videotron Helix in Canada. Connected TV and smart-TV platforms Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Google TV (on Sony, TCL and Hisense sets).
The gaming component will launch soon on Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, LG and Vizio, Zone-ify said.
Now available in 16 million pay-TV homes and 422 million consumer devices, Zone-ify saw a lift from last month’s wrestling event. Dubbed the “Border Brawl,” it boosted live watch time 13 times over average levels, the company said, without specifying the number of viewers.
The addition of games means that the company is “not just a streaming service anymore – we’re a full-scale entertainment platform,” Zone-ify President Doug Edwards said. “We are evolving into a destination for watching, playing, and engaging – all in one place.”
The company has plans to rapidly expand its game catalog and offer customized titles for advertisers and sponsors.
Zone-ify’s news came on the opening day of the Stream TV Show in Denver. Executives from Amazon, Tubi, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal and other companies are taking part in panel discussions through Friday.
