Miniweb announces Video Content Programme for broadband connected TV devices
14 September 09
Miniweb announces Video Content Programme for broadband connected TV devices
Amsterdam, September 11, 2009 – Miniweb, the Interactive Service Provider that is enabling internet video, community services, payments and context relevant, web-style advertising on TV with a range of hybrid TV devices, today announced at IBC an initial line-up of video content aggregators who have committed their content to broadband enabled TV devices supported by Miniweb. The content aggregators include AlltheContent, blinkx, Diva, Film 24 and The Vu Group. Miniweb enables TV viewers to search, discover and recommend video from content owners and aggregators using just their remote control and a broadband-connected TV device. The Miniweb services platform ensures that content owner branding, community functions, interactive options, commercial models, distribution restrictions, and payments are preserved seamlessly across a range of TV devices.
“Our newly launched content programme has two goals; firstly to simplify the task of providing broadband video to a diverse range of broadband enabled TV devices by providing a single, server-side integration and, secondly to provide the best viewing experience for TV viewers accessing online content. Everyone benefits. Device manufacturers and operators gain access to more online content and content owners gain access to more viewers through connected TV devices. In addition, broadcasters are able to make their TV channels more engaging by linking them to their own broadband content and TV viewers benefit from personalisation, recommendations and search that work across any content provider with a Media RSS feed connected to the Miniweb platform. The Miniweb platform provides the essential tools, such as micropayments support, subscriptions and advertising to allow content owners to monetise a direct relationship with TV Viewers,” says Andrew Carver, CEO of Miniweb Interactive.
Recent Miniweb research with Harris Interactive* confirmed that most consumers would prefer to watch on-demand programming on the TV than on the PC. That’s good news for the TV industry, but if popular content isn’t available on the TV, consumers will still reach for their PCs. TV consumers also want more control and a web-style set of services to manage their favourite TV shows. Miniweb’s Platform has been designed to meet these needs by providing a set of converged services, which are device agnostic and work within commercial constraints that respects the rights of the content owner and gives all members of the video value chain a low-investment route to new converged revenue opportunities.
* Recent research carried out by Harris Interactive for Miniweb shows that despite the growth in internet video and catch-up TV available via the PC, 77% of people would prefer to watch on-demand programming on their TV, and only 14% on the PC.
The initial contributors of video content to TV devices connected to the Miniweb Platform include:
AllTheContent.com, both aggregator and content producer, delivers value to media (print, tv), new media (web, mobile) and corporations. Providing multimedia (text, audio, photo, video) content in 14 languages, AllTheContent.com is the full rights owner of 270.000 articles and 500,000 photos, and has exclusive licenses on 27,000 hours of video and 5,000 hours of audio.
blinkx, the world’s largest single index of rich media content on the Web. Through the Miniweb platform, viewers are able to seamlessly search and discover professionally produced content and internet video from multiple sources. All of blinkx’s index of 35 million hours of video content is compatible with Media RSS syndication standards. Content covers various genres including fashion, sport, music, travel and foreign language programming
Founded in 2007, Diva is a leading aggregator of movies, TV series and short form contents supplying Video on Demand platforms globally. Diva's customers are Internet platforms, telecommunications companies, mobile operators and cable companies in Asia, Europe, Middle East and the USA. The content focus is on award winning films, true classics and genre contents that are offered as single content items or pre-packaged into channels.
Film24 is a cross-platform media business bringing the glamour and excitement of the movies to UK film fans. Film 24 reaches filmgoers through satellite TV, web, social networks, mobile, IPTV and live events and enables them to connect, contribute and experience the world of film. They can find and watch exclusive content, meet fellow filmgoers and submit their own short films. The business was launched as a 24 hour TV channel on the Sky platform in July 2007 and has recently launched a beta version www.film24.com. The business is backed by Hon. Angad Paul, Caparo and Pinewood studios, amongst others.
The Vu Group is a Cambridge-based secure WebTV Company specialising in maximising revenues for content, technology and media partners through its WebTV network. Unlike others in this space, The Vu Group concentrates on delivering Internet Content to the TV and not TV to the Internet, through converging the perceptions and experience of Television, with the economics and revenue opportunities of the Internet.