Canal+ launches Touch on Windows

Canal+ has launched its TV programming mobile app, Canal Touch, on the Microsoft Windows 8 platform for smartphones.

The French pay TV operator launched a Windows 8 version of its service on Windows 8-powered PCs and tablets in November.

The smartphone app, which is downloadable free of charge from the Windows Phone store, gives access to Canal+’s channels, using Microsoft Smooth Streaming adaptive bit-rate technology to match the stream to the bandwidth available.

Canal+ plans to make channels from the CanalSat pay TV platform available via the app soon, including over 50 channels available either live or as catch-up services.

The app also includes startover TV functionality, allowing users to view programmes that have just been aired for up to eight hours.

Canal Touch was launched in November 2011 on iOS and Android tablets and is available to Canal+ subscribers that take the service via IPTV or satellite. Canal+’s free-to-air channels are also available via the app to non-subscribers. Canal+ says that the app has now been downloaded close to one million times.