Coda
By Multichannel News Staff -- Multichannel News, 6/8/2009 2:00:00 AM
IFC Takes VOD High-Def
New York — Rainbow Media Holdings-owned IFC Theaters will launch a companion high-definition on-demand service later this month that will offer VOD HD independent films scheduled day-and-date with the film’s theatrical release.
The HD service will launch June 17 on Cablevision Systems’ iO digital cable service and Comcast On Demand, although neither operator would say how many HD-enabled subscribers the service will be in front of.
Comcast will charge consumers $7.99 for each IFC Theaters HD movie, $1 more than the price for IFC Theaters’ standard-definition titles. Cablevision, Rainbow’s parent company, will charge $6.95 for both standard and HD titles, according to IFC.
IFC Entertainment’s executive vice president of distribution Lisa Schwartz, said the network is also talking to other MSOs to distribute the new HD service. She added the new service provides viewers quality HD movie fare and operators a value-added proposition for its customers.
“Typically the independent viewer is the one that has the highest priority in terms of the viewing experience — they tend to be early adopters of high-definition televisions — so the time seemed right to launch the service,” she said. “Having another portal of entry for our films along with the fact that [operators] have given us a separate branded space for the service will give our films exposure to those who have a predisposition for seeking HD titles that they may not have had [in the standard format].”
The HD channel launches in advance of the debut of several high-profile independent films on the service this summer, including the July debuts of I Hate Valentine’s Day (which reunites My Big Fat Greek Wedding actors Nia Vardalos and John Corbett) and In The Loop, featuring The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini.
“We’re going to release four new day-and-date HD titles monthly and at any given time you can select as many as eight to 10 a month,” Schwartz said.
The network is coming off its best performing month in May.
“It has become a real viable way to watch independent films,” she said. “Every town doesn’t have an art house, but certainly every home has a remote control and we’re seeing the positive effects of that.” — R. Thomas Umstead
Kudelski Withdraws Its Bid for OpenTV
San Francicso — Kudelski Group last Thursday said it would withdraw its proposal to acquire the portion of TV middleware and advanced-advertising company OpenTV it doesn’t own.
Earlier in the week, OpenTV said an independent committee appointed by its board had rejected Kudelski’s bid of $1.35 per share for the remaining shares — an offer worth about $127 million — as “inadequate.” Kudelski currently holds a 26.7% economic stake and 74.7% of the voting rights to OpenTV.
“Based on Kudelski’s discussions with [OpenTV’s] Special Committee, Kudelski has concluded that continued discussions will not be fruitful and has therefore decided to withdraw its proposal and terminate discussions with the Special Committee,” it said in a statement.
Kudelski said it was committed to remaining OpenTV’s controlling shareholder and reiterated its position that OpenTV “faces serious strategic challenges” if it doesn’t adapt to meet market demands for integrated, next-generation set-top box technologies.
HD Movies Come to Vudu
Los Angeles — The Walt Disney Co.’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment division will offer more than 60 download-to-own titles in high definition through Vudu’s Internet-connected set-top boxes — the first online service through which Disney is distributing HD movies.
Vudu plans to offer every HD release from Buena Vista Home Entertainment for purchase as those titles are added to the service, day-and-date with DVD release. Initial titles available through Vudu from Disney-owned studios will include Doubt, High School Musical 3 and No Country for Old Men.
Under a separate deal announced last month, Sony Music Entertainment will offer free music videos on Vudu’s set-tops, through Sony’s partnership with Brightcove to deliver ad-supported Web content to the device’s users.
In addition, IPTV gateway vendor Entone Technologies recently announced plans to make Vudu’s online video service available to telcos through its devices. —Todd Spangler
Google Adds 3 More Nets
New York — Google has inked deals with three more cable networks — CBS College Sports, Outdoor Network and Game Show Network — bringing to 12 the number of national channels that offer some amount of inventory through the Internet company’s TV ad-sales service.
The networks currently participating in Google TV Ads are six owned by NBC Universal — CNBC, Sci Fi Channel, Oxygen, MSBNC, Sleuth and Chiller — as well as Bloomberg TV, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
Google also has a deal with Dish Network to sell spots in local ad avails on 96 national channels reaching the satellite-TV provider’s subscribers.
Mike Steib, director of Google TV Ads, would not disclose how much inventory is moving through the service. But, he said, the company has “built out a very substantial advertiser base” that includes some of the biggest advertisers on TV. According to Google, advertisers that have used the service include Lenovo, Jenny Craig, Priceline and Buy.com.
Google aggregates second-by-second viewing data from more than 4 million of Dish’s set-tops. “Set-top data is the way we help our customers put better ads on TV,” Steib said.
Cable networks that use Google TV Ads set their own pricing and preferences. In Google’s pricing model, advertisers pay only for the impressions that are actually delivered, estimated based on the Dish set-top data.
“If you’re the third ad in the pod, and 6% of the audience tuned out, we’ll bill you only for the audience you were served,” Steib said.
Google TV Ads also lets brand managers identify which programs attract specific desired demographics, with a list of about 60 interests (such as motorcycling or children).
Steib acknowledged the demographic profiles are projections derived from the Dish set-top sample. But, he added, “We have a statistical level of confidence that no one else can provide today.” — Todd Spangler
No related content found.
Featured Company
-
Grab Networks
Created from the merger between Anystream and Voxant Media, Grab Networks offers a comprehensive video operating system and syndication network for profitably publishing video anywhere on the Internet. The system automatically manages, transcodes and tags video assets- turning cl..more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
