SeaChange’s On Demand Group (ODG) and Inview Technology have announced an agreement to launch both transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services on “millions of connected TV sets in major European countries”, starting in Italy in the second quarter of this year.
According to the company’s statement, “Inview’s Neelix platform is incorporated in millions of TV sets and includes a fully integrated electronic programme guide (EPG), media browser and personal scheduling tool, offering a video streaming capability, that allows for on demand TV services as well as other added value consumer applications.” However, the release fails to specify the TV set manufacturers which are equipped with the Neelix platform.
The On Demand Group VOD services offered on the platform will provide viewers with access to blockbuster movies, TV series, children’s programming, classic movies and music videos. The agreement between the two companies was already announced last November. The news this time is the planned roll-out in the first European market, Italy, during Q2.
“We are very excited about the agreement with Inview, which further demonstrates our content aggregation strategy and objective of offering on-demand content anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Inview’s development of added value services to connected TVs has been very impressive and we look forward to working together,” said Tony Kelly, On Demand Group CEO, in a statement.
“We are delighted to be working with Europe’s leading VOD aggregator – On Demand Group has contracts with all the major Hollywood movie studios, premium TV and music suppliers. The launch of TV on-demand services will substantially enhance our consumer offer and allow our consumers a total TV experience to watch the programme of their choice whenever they want,” said Ken Austin, Inview chairman.
It is interesting to note that with the agreement with Inview, ODG will provide OTT services on competition with its existing clients, cable and IPTV operators such as Virgin Media in the UK, SFR Neuf in France, OTE in Greece, TTNET in Turkey, du in Dubai, and with the On Demand Deutschland joint venture Telekom Austria, KBW, Unity Media and Kabel Deutschland.
