• by Sara Guaglione , October 14, 2019

The Washington Post has created an app for users to read its articles on smart TVs.

The Washington Post’s Emerging News Products team curates the top stories of the day and delivers them through the app as an interactive experience. 

“This isn’t a video product,” stated Kat Downs Mulder, vice president of product and design at The Washington Post. “We have created a forward-looking experience that lets readers access our journalism in a convenient way and discover a different role that news can play in their lives.”

Users can scroll through the full-screen graphic images and headlines featured on the app. They can click to read each article in full, watch video and listen to audio.

“We wanted to bring The Post’s most engaging storytelling to smart TVs, where people are accustomed to watching videos or playing games,” Downs Mulder added.

The app also offers adjustable fonts, text sizes and color schemes.

Now available on Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, the app launch is sponsored by SAP. Content is not behind a paywall, like it is on the newspaper's website and other apps. 

WaPo’s in-house research team used the SAP Qualtrics platform to collect and analyze feedback from Fire TV owners to get insights on smart TV user habits and preferences. They conducted tests and collected feedback to help build the app.

“Hearing directly from customers was vital to developing a new navigation system based on TV remotes rather than touch screens,” stated Downs Mulder.

Users can search for “The Washington Post” in Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV, or find the app on a phone or computer to have it downloaded to their TV devices.