Channel will be available globally for viewers through first streaming TV app from a travel provider on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku, and for guests on more than 60 of the company’s cruise ships.
MIAMI – In another first for the travel industry, Carnival Corporation & plc announced it is launching OceanView – the world's first over the top (OTT) digital streaming channel from a travel provider for completely free access on land and at sea to compelling, immersive and experiential travel content for viewers across the globe.
Original shows from Carnival Corporation's OceanView channel are now available on major digital streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. Additionally, as the world's largest cruise company with nine iconic cruise line brands such as Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, OceanView will also debut on more than half of its 103 cruise ships. OceanView content also will be available in late October on the company's Ocean.com website.
OceanView features a slate of more than 100 acclaimed "Ocean Original" episodes produced by Carnival Corporation. The lineup includes the company's four original series that have been broadcast on network and cable TV over the past year, as well as two new direct-to-digital streaming original series, "GO" and "Local Eyes."
OceanView also will showcase video collections from the corporation's cruise brands, with viewers able to check out majestic new-ship christening ceremonies featuring royalty and celebrities, as well as the fascinating process of ship design and construction, elaborate culinary creations from world-renown chefs and ever-evolving, pushing-the-envelope ship attractions.
Carnival Corporation will celebrate the official availability of OceanView on Thursday with an event in Times Square that synchronizes multiple digital billboards to showcase the new streaming channel, as well as an activation center where people can learn more. The company will also use the event to demonstrate its new PlayOcean interactive gaming platform – also unveiled in an announcement from the company today – including two new mobile apps and onboard, location-based experiences for guests.
Enhancing and Sharing the Cruise Experience to Grow Industry Demand
OceanView is another innovation built upon the company's O·C·E·A·N Experience Platform, unveiled in January at the CES 2017, that will enable a new higher level of personalization in the media, games and vacation experience. The collective innovations tap into the growing interest in digital entertainment, immersive experiences and personalized interaction to expand the market for more popular-than-ever cruise vacations.
"One of the great things about our cruise vacations is that we connect people, places and cultures around the world through extraordinary experiences on state-of-the-art ships to more than 760 global destinations – and over the past year we have been bringing that unique experience to life through original storytelling that breaks perceptions by showcasing why cruise holidays are the fastest-growing segment of the vacation sector," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. "Our original programming is already a big hit on network and cable TV. And now, with the launch of OceanView, we are excited about making our authentic experiences accessible to people around the world through digital media. Our ultimate goal is to continue generating broad awareness of cruising as a great vacation and exceptional value, and to inspire consumers to consider cruising as a vacation option."
Carnival Corporation's original TV series, which debuted in fall 2016 and are now available on OceanView, recently were honored with 10 Telly Awards, which recognize the best in TV and cable, digital and streaming, and non-broadcast productions.
The programs are part of the company's larger strategy to increase awareness and demand for cruise vacations through the creation and broad distribution of compelling and authentic experiential content. Three shows were ranked as number one or number two in their time slot during their inaugural season. With cruise vacations growing 20 percent faster than land-based vacations and with more people than ever taking cruise vacations in 2017, the strong ratings are further evidence that global interest in cruise vacations is becoming more and more popular.
OceanView Content Coming to Screens Around the Globe
"Ocean Originals" use compelling and authentic storytelling to share the powerful way travel by sea connects people, places and cultures by showcasing exciting adventures, exotic cultures and popular global destinations. Ships from all nine of the company's cruise line brands – Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK) – serve as the platform for engaging and emotional experiences, and each of the company's brands are featured in at least one of the episodes.
Two New Direct-to-Digital Series to Debut on OceanView
As part of its move into global digital content, the company announced it has created two additional direct-to-digital platform series – "GO" and "Local Eyes." Shows for each direct-to-digital series run 10 minutes commercial-free, feeding a growing interest for shorter, "snackable" content, with episode collections that will be released periodically.
Carnival Corporation Debuts PlayOcean Mobile and Interactive Games
Carnival Corporation & plc nnounced the debut of PlayOcean, a portfolio of original mobile games and in-person interactive experiences that expands gaming into new categories by providing the opportunity to play anytime, anywhere, for cruise guests and consumers alike. With the launch of its PlayOcean gaming portfolio, Carnival Corporation will be the first travel company to produce original mobile games catering to the vacation market.
PlayOcean taps into the growing interest in mobile gaming by offering a selection of original games through two free downloadable mobile apps, PlayOcean Everywhere is available for download beginning September 28, and PlayOcean Casino is available this November. As a result, consumers can play anytime, anywhere for fun, and passengers on select ships from Carnival Corporation's cruise line brands can enjoy enhanced game play at sea.
Available for download to mobile devices via Apple's iTunes App Store and Google Play, PlayOcean Everywhere features four free-to-play mobile games that can be played for fun anywhere at any time. While on board, guests will have access to the real-money casino gameplay app PlayOcean Casino that converts the mobile games into onboard wager games. PlayOcean Casino app will be available for game play later this year on the company's Princess Cruises Medallion Class ships.
Carnival Corporation will celebrate the official availability of PlayOcean on Thursday with an event in Times Square that synchronizes multiple digital billboards to showcase the new games, as well as an activation center where people can learn more. The company will also use the event to demonstrate its new OceanView digital streaming channel – also unveiled in an announcement from the company today – that provides global consumers with completely free access on land and at sea to compelling, immersive and experiential travel content.
The PlayOcean Everywhere and PlayOcean Casino games are powered by the company's proprietary O·C·E·A·N experience platform, announced in January at CES 2017, that will make its world debut in mid-November on Regal Princess from Princess Cruises.
"The growing global demand for gaming across all audiences is undeniable – and the combination of social, competitive, chance and location-based games available within PlayOcean give us an opportunity to engage broader audiences in the unique experiences and fun associated with our cruise vacations," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation, whose nine cruise lines include iconic brands such as Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. "Most importantly, PlayOcean gives our guests the ultimate flexibility to engage in experiences when, where and how they choose – at home, on a plane, relaxing in their stateroom or poolside."
Play for Fun at Home and Wager Poolside at Sea – Game Offerings for Anywhere, Anytime Play
PlayOcean Everywhere and PlayOcean Casino feature four social casino games that can be played anywhere at any time with play money, in addition to in-app purchases to boost gameplay for even more fun.
With PlayOcean Casino, guests onboard Princess Cruises Medallion Class ships can up the stakes in their gaming by placing bets with real money once the ship has set sail, allowing them to take the fun of the casino wherever they please. While cruising, guests on the select ships will have access to casino games with play or real money, based on casino house rules, both inside or outside of the casino, including poolside, in staterooms or in any other ship location. Like never before, virtual games on the casino app can convert to real-money gaming once at sea to take the experience to a new level.
The four social casino games available on both apps include:
- Queen Sea Poker is an easy-to-pick-up, immersive and engaging experience that takes players on a journey with the Pirate Queen in a new kind of interactive and multiplayer online social poker game.
- Tipsy Tentacles Slots packs the fun and excitement of traditional slot machines. Tipsy the Octopus is the game's entertaining guide who introduces bonus features and free spins.
- Roulette on Deck is a continuous live event in which players place virtual bets on regularly occurring spins of a virtual roulette wheel. Players can also invite their friends to play (or merely watch). When it's roulette time, all players are treated to an exciting reveal as they see the wheel spin – and their bets play out in real time.
- Bingo on Deck reinvents a cruise favorite with multiple bingo variations and many opportunities to win. Bingo on Deck offers a unique experience for guests to play Bingo anywhere they please or to seamlessly interchange between their mobile device and traditional bingo card while playing Bingo onboard the ship.
Available exclusively onboard Princess Cruises' Medallion Class ships with rollout beginning later this year, PlayOcean will feature interactive and social location-based games that unlock once onboard, taking onboard game-play to the next level. Medallion Class Games are created to unite families, engage friends and challenge guests in a fun fashion while cruising. With these onboard experiences, the PlayOcean portfolio extends the engaging stories associated with Carnival Corporation's award-winning Ocean Originals TV programs into immersive gaming experiences.
Ocean Treks Adventure is an onboard digital scavenger hunt featuring American nature conservationist and popular TV host Jeff Corwin who leads guests on quests throughout the ship to solve puzzles, follow mobile clues and answer riddles that will lead them to treasures inspired by the history of the ship's destinations. Ocean Treks Adventure uniquely blends the real-world experiences from the "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin" TV franchise (ABC), with interactive gaming and location-based game engagement.
Good Spirits Poker is a fun, ship-wide bar crawl meets classic card game as players visit different bars on the ship, order drinks and take selfies, along with other fun actions in an effort to collect the best hand of cards. The game is infused with the real-world cocktail creations from Carnival Corporation's "Good Spirits" TV series as seen on A&E and FYI.
Tagalong Race pits Tagalong avatars, created and personalized by guests as their digital companions, in a fast and fun race across the ocean floor. In this game played on LED displays onboard Medallion Class ships from Princess Cruises, a user's phone becomes the controller in the race to the finish line.
This or That is an engaging, light-hearted and captivating experience that can be enjoyed by groups of all sizes. Similar to the game "which would you rather," guests will be presented with two opposing options and vote on which to choose. Choices range from the absurd ("Pet a dinosaur or ride a shark?") to the relatable ("Parasail or kayak?"), and the results will be displayed on Princess Cruises' outdoor Movies Under the Stars screen ahead of the nightly feature for all to enjoy.
Trivia on Deck tests guests' knowledge with daily mobile quizzes, and lets them compare scores ship-wide on daily cruise leaderboards found on interactive portals throughout the ship.
A recent report on the Global Games Market by Newzoo estimates that 2.2 billion gamers across the globe are expected to generate $108.9 billion in game revenues in 2017, with mobile (smartphone and tablet gaming) accounting for 42 percent of the market.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
