Kicks off with Android and iPhone apps.
theChanner has launched its 'social mobile TV tuner' service as a $1.99 iPhone and Android application.
The app lets people watch live TV from stations including Sky News in the UK, ABC in Australia, Sport Italia in Italy and NHK World in Japan. Bloomberg TV and several of Fox's US local channels are also included.
It pulls in channels from their internet streams, so more will be added over the coming months. There is also a free version of the app that focuses just on music channels.
Social features are key to the app, which lets people chat about what they're watching on Facebook and Twitter.
The company is also keen to get broadcasters using theChanner as a promotional tool to communicate with their audiences.
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However, it's not entirely clear what the stations will make of theChanner effectively scraping their internet streams - it's unclear if actual licensing deals have been signed for the app.
The company says at one point in its press release that it will search for new channel streams and add them to the app, but later suggests that TV stations can also provide their stream to theChanner.
"theChanner’s debut marks the beginning of the TV revolution, where viewers and their friends can create communities of interest around their favorite television shows or channels, and increase out-of-home viewership," says CEO Nina Alastruey.
"theChanner gives content providers a powerful, cost-effective way to capture audiences, foster loyalty and monetize the mobile channel over the Internet."
