As part of its long-standing collaboration with ZDF, JAKALA has expanded the broadcaster’s streaming platform with key new features for the winter sports season. At the core of the latest enhancements is an intuitive, interactive livestream experience designed to delight sports fans across all devices. With these upgrades, the ZDF streaming platform is fully prepared for the major sports highlights of 2026, including the Olympic Winter Games in Italy in February and the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the summer.
Seamless integration of live sports coverage into the platform
The sports-focused expansion of the livestream integration provides users with direct access to current and upcoming events. Viewers can switch between multiple streams of the same event and access various live data points without ever leaving the streaming portal. Countdown elements, teasers, and highlight clips create a continuous and engaging journey around every live sports event—available on Smart TVs, tvOS, Android TV, tablets and iPads, Android smartphones, and iPhones. Seamless and fully cross‑platform.
On‑screen experience: real-time data integration for maximum interaction
Integrated tables, rankings, and real-time statistics for each sports event drive engagement and are accessible directly within the livestream experience. This makes streaming more dynamic and more relevant than ever.
The technical implementation takes into account the specifics of each platform and its typical usage scenarios. On the big screen, the focus is on immersive live viewing, while mobile devices offer additional interactive features such as reminders and notifications. JAKALA customized the depth and breadth of integration to ensure a consistent, high-performance user experience—optimized for each device and its anticipated use cases.
Christian Gail, Studio Lead ZDF at JAKALA, declared:
With the expansion of the ZDF streaming platform, we are elevating the standard for digital live sports experiences. By uniting seamless live coverage with real‑time insights and a fully cross‑platform design, ZDF becomes the definitive destination for today’s sports audiences.
