NEW DELHI: Ireland’s first ever International TV channel Irish TV has tied up with Tata Communications to bring the network’s content directly to North American viewers for the first time.

Using Tata Communications’ Media Ecosystem platform, Irish TV will provide a rich content experience and on-the-go access to 40 million Irish residents in the U.S. with international expansion plans to other regions in the near future, according to an announcement made today in Las Vegas.

This comes immediately after Tata Communications signed an agreement with Asian Television Network Canada to provide OTT services.

Irish TV founder and CEO Pierce O’Reilly said: "We needed a global network that was flexible, reliable and would deliver a seamless, high-quality experience to our audiences. We’re excited to partner with Tata Communications to launch this new distribution capability and open up greater possibilities to the services we can provide in the future."

He added: “It was important for us to have a connectivity partner that would not only help us launch our television offering in North America but also around the world.”

Irish TV will leverage Tata Communications’ end-to-end managed over the-top (OTT), playout services and connectivity to deliver content in an intuitive app format. This will make the network’s unique mix of local and Irish productions available to North American viewers across multiple formats such as iOS devices, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Apple TV and smart TV’s. Viewers will be able to access exclusive local content from every county in Ireland and Irish communities across the UK and the United States.

The Tata Communications Media Ecosystem combines traditional video contribution services with IP-based connectivity to create a flexible and innovative global media platform. The ecosystem enables seamless global transport and management of content as a cloud-based managed service and supports global media distribution requirements, OTT and mobility applications.

“By harnessing the power of our Media Ecosystem, Irish TV will be ideally positioned to reach the vibrant market of Irish nationals and Irish Americans living in the US,” said Tata Communications CEO for Growth Ventures and Service Provider Group Rangu Salgame. “Our unparalleled OTT platform and video distribution capabilities, underpinned by our global fibre network, enable Irish TV to bring its new audiences the best viewing experiences, anytime, anywhere, on the device of their choice.”

Irish TV has a plethora of content revolving around Irish culture, creating national and local content in all 32 counties in Ireland, and in Irish communities abroad in London and Manchester with rapid expansion across the United States in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC, Austin and Los Angeles‎, among others.