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IPTV
STB
Deployment |
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KIT digital Signs Multi-Year
Partnership to Deliver IPTV Set-Top Box Solution for Global Ethnic
Programming in North America
Other Topics:
End-to-End
IPTV Solution,
IPTV Video Splicer
PRNewswire-FirstCall
October 15 , 2008
Roll-out will focus on multi-dwelling units (MDUs) which are
underserved by
satellite TV, starting with Arabic Language content in the United
States
and Canada
DUBAI and CANNES - KIT digital, Inc.
(OTC Bulletin Board: KITD), a leading global provider of IPTV
enablement
technology and video-centric interactive marketing solutions,
announced
today that it has been selected by TV2Moro, a new firm backed by
several
top-tier ethnic television aggregators and producers, to deploy a
new IPTV
set-top box (STB) service to deliver programming to ethnic consumers
in
North America. The TV2Moro/KIT digital partnership has a minimum
term of 48
months, and involves platform development fees, ongoing platform
licensing
fees, and a revenue share model based on the number of subscribers
adopting
the service. |
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TV2Moro's initial
commercial roll-out will include a top-tier bouquet
of Arabic language channels, and is scheduled for the beginning of
2009,
with a test phase (or commercial "alpha") taking place now. During
the
MIPCOM audiovisual conference taking place now in Cannes, France,
KIT
digital is performing live product demonstrations of the TV2Moro STB
platform for prospective broadcaster and telecommunications
partners.
"The TV2Moro partnership is a harbinger of the future for KIT
digital,"
commented Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, chairman and chief executive officer
of KIT
digital. "We are applying a network- and device-agnostic approach to
all of
our client partners -- thinking through platform development and
distribution across IPTV set-top boxes, mobile phones and the
browser. We
see ourselves as the only player in the market with this big-picture
approach and capability - making us more relevant to our clients'
bottom-line than browser-only, video- player and online
tools-focused
companies."
TV2Moro anticipates revealing its full content slate, as well as its
financial and commercial backers, during the National Association of
Television Program Executives (NATPE) conference in Las Vegas,
starting
January 26, 2009. TV2Moro anticipates launching the service with at
least
20 channels, and expects to roll-out other ethnic packages (such as
Russian
and Spanish-language) through 2009 and 2010.
The Arabic language package launch is expected to make an immediate
impact within the Arab-American and Arab-Canadian communities, as it
will
offer hard- to-get, TV-quality Arabic programming at attractive
price
points. The TV2Moro service will feature a company-installed,
easy-to-operate set-top box which will "look" and "feel" like a
standard
cable box, and will work with all broadband Internet providers. The
TV2Moro
service will support live programming, video-on-demand, pay-per-view
and
digital video recording functionalities. Later versions of the
TV2Moro
set-top box may also function as an IP telephony device.
KIT digital was selected for its end-to-end service, complete
product
portfolio, enterprise customer service, and content acquisition
expertise.
KIT digital is managing the entire fulfillment, platform technology
and
IPTV broadcasting/streaming components of the TV2Moro system,
including but
not limited to: capture and ingest of satellite and IP-based
content,
transcoding and encoding, meta-tagging,
configuration, programming
interface and streaming (live and VoD/DVR). KIT digital will also
manage,
through an outsource service provider, the in-home installations of
the
product, and handle inventory management and tier 2 customer service
support. Future versions of the TV2Moro STB service will be
integrated with
online and mobile offerings, in a seamless "home and away-from-home"
entertainment solution.
Gavin Campion, president of KIT digital, continued, "For us, it's
all
about developing AND monetizing IP-based video platforms for our
clients.
The TV2Moro deal is an enterprise deal for us by any definition-be
it team
effort, revenues, gross contribution etc. However, it is structured
in such
a way so that we are very motivated to see TV2Moro succeed
commercially,
and share in that success."
Ethnic media is an enormous market that is well understood by the
KIT
digital management team. More than 65 million people in North
America
prefer to consume media in a language other than English, and about
a
quarter of all U.S. adults consume some type of ethnic media,
according to
a recent Knight Foundation poll. Today, satellite TV is the dominant
modality in the ethnic television market in the United States, but
satellite TV is richly priced and most often inaccessible in MDUs.
Satellite TV is also one-way, lacking the interactive and social
media
components available through IPTV.
The TV2Moro "alpha" version is being demonstrated by KIT digital in
booth a04.20 at the MIPCOM audiovisual conference in Cannes, France
through
October 16, 2008.
About TV2Moro
TV2Moro is an ethnic programming IPTV distribution network focusing
on
diaspora communities in North America,
Australia and Europe. TV2Moro
executives and investors come from several top-tier ethnic
television
aggregators and producers. TV2Moro is currently in an "alpha"
deployment of
its Arabic channel bouquet and will launch the commercial "beta" of
its
Arabic package on or about January 1, 2009. TV2Moro anticipates
revealing
its initial content slate, as well as its commercial partners and
financial
backers, during the National Association of Television Program
Executives
(NATPE) conference in Las Vegas, starting January 26, 2009. In the
future,
you will find information on TV2Moro at http://www.tv2moro.com.
About KIT digital
KIT digital, Inc. (OTCBB: KITD) is a leading, global provider of
proprietary IP-based video distribution technologies and
video-centric
interactive marketing solutions. Through its end-to-end platform,
KIT
digital works closely with consumer brands, content providers and
telcos to
maximize the value of video content via the Internet, mobile
networks and
IPTV set-top box solutions. The KIT VX platform allows clients to
publish,
manage and distribute digital video content, build online/mobile
communities and integrate advertising. The Company offers businesses
a full
range of interactive marketing solutions and KIT clients can access
approximately 100 KIT-syndicated channels and 40,000 KIT-syndicated
videos.
KIT digital clients include News Corp., Verizon, IMG, China Mobile,
Telefonica, Vodafone, K-Mart, Coles, NASDAQ,
Hummer and RCS. KIT digital
has principal offices in Dubai, Melbourne (Australia), Stockholm,
Prague,
New York and London. For additional information, please visit
http://www.kit-digital.com.
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