The living room broadband TV market is due to get seriously crowded next year. BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) is putting its content on IPTV devices and the BBC-convened Project Canvas coalition is set to produce a series web TV products, but that’s not putting off Miniweb...
The VC-backed spin-off from BSkyB’s Sky Interactive division, which raised $32 million (now £19.6 million) from US-based investors last year and still provides “red button” services to Sky TV, wants to launch its own IPTV service in the UK in Q1 and is also aiming for international traction.
Miniweb says it already has distribution deals with multiple retailers and ISPs, but it isn’t saying who; a private UK beta begins next month.
paidContent:UK saw the system in action at a work-in-progress demo in central London and heard some details from Miniweb on how the the system will work…
—The hunt for content: Miniweb claims to already have 30 million hours of content to show—40 percent of it will be paid-for premium content such as movies—including its deal with online video search engine Blinkx (and a large amount of adult content). But it needs more than just archive VOD and is pitching to content owners. In its pitch, Miniweb says clips and programmes can appear in a branded menu which content owners themselves control.
“Miniweb is in the centre as a means to get multiple content providers onto multiple devices,” is how business development director Dave Lipp describes it. Miniweb plans some integration with VOD portals like iPlayer and 4OD, as the demo I saw illustrated—but that was just a mock-up and Miniweb is still only in talks with BBC, Channel 4 and others.
—Selling the platform: This isn’t about selling a STB, it’s about selling its platform and all the functionalities and content deals that go with it. So Miniweb’s signed up multiple box manufacturers and multiple ISPs and retailers for distribution, casting its net as wide as possible. The company points out its platform will work with new versions of existing boxes and it’s keen to keep all options open. The platform has two (unnamed) set top box manfacturers in place for its beta launch, but head of business development Mark James stressed that the model will be compatible with a range of boxes
—Subscriptions, micropayments: The company is keeping quiet on the specifics of the business model, but broadly it will be tied to ISP subscriptions or available direct from retailers on a subscription basis. Programmes and films can also be bought either through one-off payments or individual subscriptions and it’s exploring a freemium-style system whereby the amount of pre- and post-roll ads is reduced depending on how much viewers pay.
—Content sharing, recommendation: In keeping with the content sharing and social functionality that Sky and the BBC are working on, Miniweb lets users recommend content to friends while its search feature keeps a profile of users’ viewing habits and suggests relevant content. The platform has two Flash-based games partners and at least one online betting provider.
from paidContent:UK
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