Digital Theatre announces new partnership with Samsung

Digital Theatre, which records theatrical productions for digital download, has announced a new partnership with Samsung Smart TVs.

The Samsung app allows viewers to watch productions on their TV after purchasing them through the Digital Theatre website.

During a demonstration at the Young Vic this morning, Digital Theatre co-founder Robert Delamere described Samsung as a “key partner in our digital venture”.

Smart TVs provide viewers with the opportunity to access apps such as BBC iPlayer and LoveFilm directly on their televisions. Samsung is estimated to have sold over 50million worldwide.

Productions currently available through Digital Theatre include Frantic Assembly’s Lovesong, the Open Air Theatre’s Into the Woods and the recent Whatsonstage.com Award-winning production of Much Ado About Nothing starring Catherine Tate and David Tennant.

Speaking to Whatsonstage.com at today’s launch, Delamere said: “It’s especially exciting because it takes us on the next step on our journey from small screens to big screens. Laptops can be quite an isolating medium to watch theatre on, whereas TV is much more communal.”

He emphasised his belief that there is a “huge audience” for recorded theatre, and promised that new productions will be announced in the coming weeks.

As well as the Young Vic, Digital Theatre’s partners include Sonia Friedman Productions, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the Royal Court.

Samsung’s strategic content manager Lali Parikh said: “The launch of the Digital Theatre App onto Samsung Smart TV opens up the world of theatre to the public, allowing people to choose what they want to see, when they want to see it. The drama of the performance is intensified through the picture and sound quality of the range, creating a incredibly immersive experience for viewers.”

The app is available from today on Samsung 2012 Smart Interaction enabled models.