A new and free Brazilian streaming platform, named Innova TV, was recently launched, offering a variety of live television channels, radio stations, and movies and series available on demand. This service emerges as an alternative to subscription-based entertainment apps, following the model adopted by major players like Pluto TV, as it does not charge for content access.
The commercial launch took place after a testing period that began in July. The platform's business model is based on advertising revenue, with an initial investment of US$ 10 million, aiming to reach up to ten million users in its first year of operation.
Access to Innova TV can be obtained for free through the official website on browsers, or via applications designed for Android and iOS devices, as well as on TV sets compatible with Android TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV Stick. The company stated that native applications for Samsung (with Tizen) and LG (with webOS) Smart TVs are still awaiting approval in the certification processes.
The platform's content structure integrates two distribution formats: AVOD (Advertising Video on Demand), which makes movies and series available for free through the display of advertisements, and FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV), which offers continuous channels equally financed by advertising.
Thus, the service merges features of traditional television with the digital catalogs of basic packages from major streaming services that include ads, such as Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max. Although reminiscent of Pluto TV, Innova TV requires the user to create an account using email, phone number, and CPF to access the catalog, although the platform allows account creation only to save favorites and personalized lists.
Innova Comunicação, responsible for the platform, positions this project as a step towards TV 3.0, the next generation of Brazilian television, which promises greater integration between live broadcasting and connectivity. The CEO of Innova TV, Jaime de Paula, clarifies that the AVOD model guarantees free content access through advertising, arguing that this approach serves as a legitimate alternative to piracy.