Following the launch of the first mobile TV subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in the UK by mobile operator 3 in November 2009, 3 UK and On Demand Group today announced the debut of Warner Bros. International Branded Services’ WarnerTV branded service, which gives subscribers on-demand access to entire episodes of hit television shows from Warner Bros. Entertainment.
The content deal with Mobix Interactive, now part of On Demand Group (a SeaChange International company, Nasdaq: SEAC) marks Warner Bros. International Branded Services’ first launch of the WarnerTV branded service on an SVOD mobile platform in the UK. Programming available on WarnerTV includes hit comedies “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Friends,” as well as one-hour series “The Mentalist,” “The Closer,” “Gossip Girl,” “Fringe,” “Chuck” and “Supernatural.”
Under the terms of the deal with On Demand Group, WarnerTV will offer hundreds of television series episodes each year to subscribers to the 3 network in the UK.
The breakthrough SVOD service, called “TV on Demand,” is fully managed and powered by On Demand Group, the three-screen enabler for premier content and operations brands. 3’s TV on Demand fulfills the industry’s anytime, anywhere personal TV vision to provide the most desired programs to any handset with complete on-demand control.
TV on Demand establishes a major competitive differentiation among mobile television services. Leveraging On Demand Group’s Mobix Adrenalin technology and numerous partner studios and programmer relationships, TV on Demand presents a mobile viewing experience that correlates to television and broadband PC viewing. It offers a variety of top-rated television shows (comedy, drama, etc.), enabling subscribers to extend their enjoyment of complete programs while they’re on the go, away from their TV and broadband connections. The Mobix Adrenalin technology now ensures subscribers on any 3 handset can enjoy the new personalised functionality, including play, pause and resume of all programs at anytime.
Neil Andrews, Head of Media Sales & Content Services at 3 UK, said, “This platform gives us the ability to offer true on-demand TV, bringing one of the most popular types of internet service to our mobile customers. The TV On Demand service will allow our customers to watch their favourite programmes when and where they want to.”
Tony Kelly, CEO of On Demand Group, said, “The introduction of subscription video-on-demand with full length programming to the mobile environment heralds a new era in the growth of mobile video. Our experience shows that penetration and viewing rates are enhanced by subscription on demand services, and Adrenalin’s capability to deliver this new experience fits with the convergence strategies of our customers and consumers’ increasing desire for multi-screen access and on-demand viewing.”
Malcolm Dudley-Smith, Executive Vice President–Business Management, Warner Bros. International Branded Services, said, “We are pleased to be partnering with 3 and On Demand Group on this deal for WarnerTV, the first SVOD mobile offering for our branded service in the UK. This underscores our commitment to deliver high-quality television programming to consumers, whenever and wherever they want to access it.”
