First Look: Hisense adds ups the sport game with NRL TV and Kayo on a wide range of TVs

Rejoice Hisense TV owners, many of you are being rewarded with new content and sport is key with a new NRL TV app launching alongside Kayo on recent Hisense TV models.

As a major partner of the NRL it makes perfect sense for the NRL TV app to come to Hisense TVs and it’s been done very well.

While others have just written about the release, we’ve installed the latest OS on our Hisense TV and can tell you first hand just how it works and how good it looks.

The NRL TV app requires no login, and is quite snappy in terms of performance, and for clarity, we’re not even using a 2021 model TV. Our 85 Inch R7 downloaded the update automatically, with both Kayo and NRL TV appearing in the App list after the restart.

NRL TV offers a decent menu of content through a standard streaming style thumbnail layout

There’s also a search and filter function allowing you to see full game replays, highlights and press conferences by the round of your choice and more.

And, there’s live streaming of press conferences and the NRL’s own shows “inside the NRL, Game Play and NRL Teams” within the NRL TV app.

When playing content, there are pre-roll advertisements for what appear to be NRL sponsors but all the content is free to watch.

Hisense is half way through it’s three year partnership with the NRL which kicked off in one of the toughest years for sport with Covid 19

Andre Iannuzzi, Head of Marketing at Hisense Australia, said: “At Hisense we are driven to provide Australians the best in home entertainment, which means we are constantly looking at how we can expand our content offering – particularly when it comes to sports. Our insights tell us that our customers highly value access to sports content from the comfort of their own home and this is something we’ve seen increase exponentially over the last 12 months.

“The integration of the NRL TV App across our product range is an exciting development for our sports-loving customer base and significantly enhances our on-demand sport offering by ensuring there is something for everyone – from basketball lovers and passionate NRL supporters, to the sporting fanatic all-rounder with Kayo.”

The roll out of Kayo could best be described as slow, with the news coming earlier this year at CES, along with news 2021 models would feature a Kayo button on the remote.

And there’s more, the NBA app is also on board for those US Basketball fans among the Hisense ownership.

“By partnering with the NRL, NBA and platforms like Kayo and investing in innovative television technology, from ULED 8K with AI-powered upscaling to Mini LED, we are able to give our customers the best, at-home viewing experience possible,” added Mr Iannuzzi.

“When fans aren’t able to make the game in-person, we’re pleased to provide them with a front row seat from their own living room.”

Which Hisense TVs are compatible with Kayo and NRL TV?

So, it’s not an easy one, but all the model numbers are below to help you out.

Essentially, Hisense’s VIDAA U operating system versions 3, 4 and 5 will carry the apps, with exact model compatibility varying from version to version. It’s all about the processing power of the TV.

If you have any of these models, you’ll get NRL TV, NBA League Pass, Kayo and Stan Sport:

• 43S8 – VIDAA U 3
• 50R6 – VIDAA U 3
• 50R7 – VIDAA U 3
• 50S5 – VIDAA U 3
• 50S8 – VIDAA U 3
• 55R5 – VIDAA U 3
• 55R6 – VIDAA U 3
• 55R7 – VIDAA U 3
• 55S8 – VIDAA U 3
• 55Q8 – VIDAA U 4
• 58R5 – VIDAA U 3
• 58S5 – VIDAA U 3
• 65R6 – VIDAA U 3
• 65R7 – VIDAA U 3
• 65R8 – VIDAA U 3
• 65S8 – VIDAA U 3
• 65SX – VIDAA U 4
• 65Q7 – VIDAA U 4
• 65Q8 – VIDAA U 4
• 70S5 – VIDAA U 4
• 75R6 – VIDAA U 3
• 75R7 – VIDAA U 3
• 75R8 – VIDAA U 3
• 75S8 – VIDAA U 3
• 75Q8 – VIDAA U 4
• 85R7 – VIDAA U 3
• 85S8 – VIDAA U 3
• 85Q8 – VIDAA U 4
• 100S8 – VIDAA U 4
• 100L5F – VIDAA U 4
• U9G – VIDAA U 5
• U8G – VIDAA U 5
• U7G – VIDAA U 5
• A7G – VIDAA U 5 and;
• all products launching in 2021

If you have the Android U90G or U80G you’ll get NBA League Pass, Kayo and Stan Sport but no NRL TV app.