TVO

Expanding from traditional broadcasting to a multi-app OTT presence, without duplicating infrastructure or increasing operational overhead

The flexibility that Accedo One offers is impressive. We appreciate the ability to customise our content for different times of the year, like our holiday special programming. This flexibility extends to branding as well. Despite being an out-of-the-box solution, Accedo allowed us to integrate TVO's unique colour palette and logos, ensuring that the platform feels uniquely ours.

- Glen Craven, Director Technology Services, TVO

At a glance

Service type
Free, publicly funded streaming services (two distinct apps)

Content focus
Children's educational programming (TVOkids) and current affairs, documentaries and learning content for adults (TVO Today)

Availability
Canada (Ontario-focused public broadcaster)

Devices
Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Roku

Business model
Free to viewer, publicly funded

Key outcomes

Launched two distinct OTT services across 12 apps, managed by a small internal team
Integrated directly with existing Brightcove VideoCloud system, eliminating content duplication
Delivered a fully compliant streaming experience aligned with AODA and CRTC requirements

About TVO

TVO Media Education Group is a not-for-profit public broadcaster and agency of the Ontario Ministry of Education, with a mission to inspire learning and enrich communities. The organisation operates two streaming services: TVO Today, focused on current affairs and documentaries for adult audiences, and TVOkids, dedicated to children's educational programming.

As a government-funded organisation, TVO is accountable for the efficient use of public resources in everything it builds and operates.

The opportunity

Surveys conducted in early 2021 with Ontario audiences confirmed what TVO had anticipated: demand for OTT access to their content was growing, and traditional TV viewership was declining. To remain accessible and relevant, TVO needed to expand into streaming and meet audiences wherever they chose to watch.

The challenge was doing so efficiently. As a publicly funded organisation with a small digital team, TVO needed a platform that could support multiple apps across a wide range of devices without high development overhead, integrate with their existing Brightcove VideoCloud system rather than duplicating it, and meet the accessibility and compliance standards required of a Canadian public broadcaster.

The solution

TVO partnered with Accedo One in 2021 to launch its OTT services and expand its digital presence across connected devices. The technology behind Accedo One now forms part of the Leyra OTT platform, which continues to support and evolve the TVO services.

TVO was able to:

Launch two distinct OTT services — TVO Today for adult audiences and TVOkids for children — ensuring content was clearly targeted to each audience

Go live across 12 apps covering Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS and Roku, without building and maintaining custom apps for each platform

Integrate directly with their existing Brightcove VideoCloud system through a pre-built integration, avoiding content duplication and enabling an automated publishing workflow

Manage all 12 apps with a small internal team, using a WYSIWYG editor to preview and test changes before publishing, without repeated app store submissions

Customise the experience to reflect TVO's brand identity across both services, applying colour, layout and editorial structure within an out-of-the-box solution

Meet Canadian accessibility requirements, including closed captioning and described video, ensuring compliance across all devices

Improve the viewing experience for TVOkids audiences through a binge-watching feature that enables uninterrupted content streaming

Free up internal resources to focus on content, marketing and audience development rather than platform maintenance

The Outcome

TVO launched two fully branded OTT services across 12 apps, integrated with their existing infrastructure and managed by a small team, without duplicating their content library or increasing operational complexity.

The pre-built integration with Brightcove was central to the approach. Rather than rebuilding content workflows or maintaining a separate library for OTT, the platform connected directly to existing systems. This enabled a faster launch and more efficient ongoing operations, with publishing and monitoring handled through a single automated pipeline.

For a publicly funded broadcaster, the ability to operate 12 apps with a lean team is not a minor detail. It is central to delivering value while managing public resources responsibly. Editorial tools, including the WYSIWYG preview environment, gave the content team control to manage seasonal programming, playlists and layout updates without relying on development resource for every change.

Accessibility compliance was a non-negotiable requirement. Delivering closed captioning and described video consistently across all platforms ensured TVO met regulatory obligations and aligned with its mission of making learning accessible to all audiences.