WheelsTV's Ooyala-Powered "POV Reviews" Service Goes Live on eBay Motors

Broadband video platform provider, Ooyala, contacted [itvt] Monday to let us know that the market test of "POV Reviews," a video shopping service developed by WheelsTV and powered by Ooyala's technology, has now launched on eBay's eBay Motors online marketplace. [itvt] originally reported on the service September 16th, but we were subsequently informed that it had been temporarily delayed. A slightly redacted version of our original article is below, now complete with some embedded video examples of POV Reviews.

Broadband video platform provider, Ooyala (note: the company claims to have over 140 global media and enterprise customers, including Warner Bros., Electronic Arts and Sybase), is teaming with WheelsTV, a producer and distributor of automobile test drive videos, on a market test of a "POV (Pre-Owned Vehicle) Reviews" service on eBay's eBay Motors online marketplace. The company says that WheelsTV created the new, video-based consumer shopping service in response to "a significant need by pre-owned vehicle shoppers for a video-centric shopping and research solution that would save significant time, make the process more enjoyable and lead to a better vehicle ownership experience." According to WheelsTV, each five-minute POV Review saves consumers over five hours of research by providing comprehensive road tests, walk-arounds, and critical car shopping data on reliability, safety and fuel economy. The reviews, which are produced in cooperation with JD Power and Associates, feature graphics of JDPower.com's Power Circle Ratings of each featured vehicle's overall dependability, performance and quality. They also include mileage estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency and crash-test footage from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

The POV Reviews, which are accessed by selecting make and model on the eBay Motors homepage, are delivered using video technology from Ooyala, which claims that its adaptive bit-rate video delivery capability provides a high-quality, buffer-free experience. The company says its player gathers advanced analytics from the videos, including information on each video's overall performance and on which parts of the video are most interesting to viewers. According to the company, the service is launching with reviews covering over 200 makes/models/years, and additional videos will be added to its content-line-up each month. "Video is the most efficient and persuasive way to communicate information," Ooyala CEO, Jay Fulcher, said in a prepared statement. "POV Reviews by WheelsTV harness the power of video to improve and accelerate the decision making process for the consumer. The industry-leading analytics provided with the Ooyala platform will help eBay Motors and WheelsTV optimize their video content and intelligently connect buyers with their targeted interest in a specific automobile."