Opera : is reinventing how people watch movies, launching a public beta of its new VOD platform, Loomi

Oslo, Norway and Wroclaw, Poland, December 7, 2021 - Opera, the global web innovator with an engaged base of hundreds of millions of monthly active users, is releasing the public beta of its new VOD platform, Loomi, in Poland. With Loomi, Opera is revolutionizing the way people watch movies, making the experience more exciting and interactive than ever.

Too important not to reinvent

Watching movies, series and shows is an indispensable part of people's free-time. According to research conducted by Opera, Poles spend an average of two hours per day on streaming platforms. The survey shows that over 62% percent of respondents use more than two streaming platforms to access a wider selection of content.

Today, the entertainment we get from movies goes far beyond the film itself, beginning before it's watched and keeping the user involved even after. Nonetheless, the way people watch films has not majorly changed since on-demand video streaming became mainstream. Accessing content anytime and any place is by itself becoming less fulfilling. As recent trends show, younger people are looking for an engaging and interactive viewing experience that makes the process more exciting and encourages them to enjoy a movie more deeply.

Loomi - here for more than just watching

Millions of Poles miss social features in their current streaming services. According to the survey by Opera, every fourth Pole lacks the reviews and comments by others on streaming platforms. After all, viewers end up jumping between social media and movie websites to rate, discuss, share their thoughts, or find interesting facts about the film. The movie buffs are scattered among different streaming services and movie databases.

Loomi, the brand new VOD platform by Opera, offers more than just a traditional watching experience. It aims at revolutionizing the way people are entertained by streaming platforms: while searching for their next favorite film, watching videos together, and uncovering free movies, all at once.

Loomi.tv is a standalone web video streaming service currently available in Poland in beta, and is integrated into Opera browser for desktop (Win, Mac Linux). Additional built-in functionality allows viewers to cast it to the big screen, and Loomi will be expanding to more European markets in the near future with additional support for Smart TV and mobile devices.

Great movies and videos - all in one place

The Loomi service combines highly editorialized aVoD and tVoD - free and premium quality content. Users don't need to pay a subscription or rental fee to enjoy movies, and can instantly start watching a selection of free star-powered films available on the platform. This selection is curated by the community by voting for top-5 picks, meaning they vote on movies they want to watch for free next season.

Moreover, Loomi provides viewers with various international and locally tailored content any time of day and offers a lean-back experience with Instant TV. Users can pick a channel with their favorite category of videos, like Sports, Lifestyle, Travel, Comedy, or Games, and just enjoy the show.

Loomi is an open and freemium streaming service, meaning there's no subscription for access to a wide palette of over two thousand movies which will be gradually added to the service for rental. Users will be able to rent premium movies if they are logged in to Loomi. The rental price for premium movies varies from 6.99 to 14.99 PLN.

Find a movie by every aspect you can think of

Despite the fact that there are numerous platforms providing all types of films, finding the right movie on Friday night is still a problem for many users. Among the flood of the content, the suggesting algorithm determines a user's preferences and makes suggestions on what to watch next. The issue though is that the algorithm is not always successful at helping users find TV shows and movies that they would truly enjoy and that will fit their current mood. Despite the torrent of content available, Opera research shows that over 29% of Polish internet users think there are too many bad movies, and every fifth user says they have difficulty finding something worth watching.

Loomi is here to change the current state, and is all about personalizing the watching experience. Viewers can search for the movies by every possible aspect, such as plot, characters, locations or mood. Loomi is built to help users find their next favorite movie in the easiest way.

"Loomi doesn't let the algorithm suggest what you should watch. It helps you find your next favorite film with tailored filtering by every aspect you can think of, like mood, an adaptation, character, setting, theme," said Mattijs de Valk, VP Content Acquisition at Opera. "Now browsing a vast library of movies is quick and easy - you can find a film you don't know which is perfect for you. Moreover, Loomi offers numerous engaging features like an opportunity to share reactions with others while watching - everything to enrich the experience of watching movies."

A new way of watching movies together

Loomi makes watching movies together more social and special, allowing people's reactions to pop up on screen at timestamps. Any user can share their experience with a comment on a specific scene of the film and have fun reading others' reactions.

Join Loomi today!

Loomi was launched in an invite-only beta phase on October 12, 2021, and Opera asked beta testers about their first experience with Loomi. The service has been well-received and appreciated by viewers, with the majority of respondents saying it looks and claiming they will use it again.

The most liked features are the advanced search functionality based on every aspect a viewer can think of, like plot, characters, location and mood. The opportunity to choose the next movie that will be available for free, and the rich collection of available free movies in general, is another favorite feature among the beta testers, with 80% rating it as "awesome."

To create an account, a user just needs to go to the Loomi.tv website and get started. Those with an Opera account can use it to log into Loomi.

About Opera

Opera is a global web innovator with an engaged and growing base of hundreds of millions of monthly active users who have sought a better internet experience. Building on over 25 years of innovation that started with browser products, Opera is now leveraging its brand and highly engaged user base to expand its business into new segments. Today, Opera offers users around the world a range of products and services that include PC and mobile browsers, the newsreader Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, e-commerce and classifieds. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (OPRA).