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NBC to Launch Programming-Download Service, "NBC Direct"

--Leaves iTunes for Unbox, Trials Free VOD with Cox

Shortly after announcing that its broadband video joint venture with Fox (see [itvt] Issue 7.36 Part 1) would be called "Hulu," US broadcast network, NBC, announced plans to launch a service called NBC Direct on its Web site, which will allow users to download and view free, advertising-supported episodes of its primetime and late-night entertainment programming on their desktops for up to a week after broadcast. "With the creation of this new service, we are acknowledging that now, more than ever, viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consume their favorite entertainment," Vivi Zigler, EVP of NBC digital entertainment, said in a prepared statement. "Not only does this feature give them more control, but it also gives them a higher-quality video experience."

The first iteration of NBC Direct, which will begin beta-testing this month, will allow users to manually download full-length episodes for viewing on Windows-based PC's. According to NBC, downloaded files, which will be licensed to users for viewing through NBC Direct for one week following each episode's broadcast, will provide a better viewing experience than traditional streaming video. Programs available through NBC Direct at launch include "Heroes," "The Office," "Life," "Bionic Woman," "30 Rock," "Friday Night Lights," and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Later in the beta-launch, users will be provided with a subscription option, that will allow them to set up automatic downloads of each week's episodes of their favorite shows. According to NBC, the downloadable player that powers the new service will feature filtering technology that will prevent it from playing any non-authorized copyrighted material.

According to NBC, future versions of NBC Direct--which are scheduled to roll out over the next few months, will provide expanded platform functionality and will allow DRM-protected versions of the broadcaster's programs to be downloaded to Macs and portable devices, in addition to PC's. NBC says it also plans to eventually make available high-resolution versions of its programming via a closed peer-to-peer distribution network (it says that closed P2P will ensure that "the maximum number of users will be able to view consistent, high-quality content directly from their desktops"). Later in 2008, the broadcaster says, it will begin implementing other business models for downloaded content, which may include download-to-own, rental and subscription.

In related news:

• The NBC network's parent company, NBC Universal, which recently declined to renew its distribution deal with Apple's iTunes, following a dispute over pricing, copy-protection controls and show-bundling, has begun offering a selection of its TV programs on Amazon Unbox, Amazon.com's digital video download service (note: the service has offered a selection of Universal movies since September, 2006). NBC broadcast-network programs initially offered on the service as a result of the deal include "The Office," "Heroes" and "30 Rock" (note: episodes of the shows can be purchased the day after they air, and complete seasons can be purchased as soon as the season concludes); in addition, since September 10th, NBC has been offering the pilot episodes of its new shows, "Bionic Woman," "Chuck," "Journeyman" and "Life," for free on Unbox in advance of their network premieres, and will make new episodes available for purchase on the service the day after they air on linear TV. Unbox is also carrying a number of shows from NBC Universal's cable/satellite channels as a result of the new deal, including "Monk" (USA Network), "Battlestar Galactica" (Sci Fi), "Top Chef" (Bravo), "El Cuerpo De Deseo" (Telemundo), and "The Chicas Project" (mun2). NBC Universal and Amazon say that they will provide a variety of incentive plans to drive interest in NBC Universal programs on Unbox, including discounts on purchases of multiple episodes and multiple series, and season passes.
• NBC Universal is teaming with MSO, Cox Communications, on a trial in which five NBC primetime shows are being offered on-demand free-of-charge to Cox digital customers in Orange County and Palos Verdes, Calif. The shows participating in the trial are "30 Rock," "Friday Night Lights," "Las Vegas," "Life" and "Bionic Woman." "NBC Universal is excited to be working with our partner, Cox Communications, to test this new offering," Bradley Fleisher, SVP at NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution, said in a prepared statement. "We are pleased to team up with Cox to bring some of NBC's most popular programming to their subscribers on an on-demand basis." Each episode of the shows will be made available on Cox's VOD platform the day after it airs on linear TV. According to the companies, fast-forward will be disabled for the trial, "so the viewing experience will be the same as the program's primetime airing."
• NBC has launched its first original, live-action broadband TV series, "Coastal Dreams," on NBC.com. The 24-episode series, which is produced by NBC.com, allows viewers to sign up for SMS messages, phone calls and emails from its characters. It also leverages NBC.com's social network, myNBC, which is tying into episodes with daily updates and in-depth backstories on the show's characters. The show's homepage includes behind-the-scenes videos; what NBC describes as a "larger, more cinematic" video player; and an original soundtrack. NBC.com is also making available a "Coastal Dreams" WAP site for mobile users. In order to drive interest in the show, NBC Universal's female-targeted portal, iVillage, offered a sneak preview of the first two episodes of the show a week before its October 2nd debut.
• NBC Universal Television Stations and its iVillage subsidiary have relaunched their female-targeted, live, interactive daytime talkshow, "iVillage Live" as "In the Loop with iVillage." The show, which has a new look-and-feel and new hosts (actress and comedian, Kim Coles; season-one "The Apprentice" winner, Bill Rancic; and TV personality, Ereka Vetrini), allows viewers to chat live and vote in polls. In addition, iVillage contributors make regular appearances on the show to join in the discussions. "We believe in the concept of an interactive daytime show, and we're excited to bring that idea back for a second season," John Wallace, president of NBC Owned-and-Operated Television Stations, said in a prepared statement. Added Deborah Fine, NBC Universal's president of iVillage properties: "'In the Loop' brings our robust, vibrant online community to women across the nation, who can now join the iVillage conversation on another platform."
• NBC has begun offering its late-night variety show, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," on-demand on NBC.com. According to NBC, "Late Night" is the first broadcast-network late-night entertainment program to be offered on a broadcast-network Web site: streams of the previous night's episode are being made available on NBC.com by 12:00PM the next day. While this represents the first time that NBC has made entire episodes of "Late Night" available online, the broadcaster has for some time now offered a line-up of ancillary broadband video content around the show, including the original animated series, "Pale Force," on NBC.com, and the Web site, HornyManatee.com.

Brightcove in Broadband TV Deals with Two Major UK Newspaper Groups

--Company also Powering Broadband TV for New York City, Weather Channel

Broadband video publishing services company, Brightcove, which in July opened up an office in London, has recently secured deals with two major UK newspaper publishers. Last week, the company announced that Guardian News & Media, which publishes the Guardian and Observer newspapers, and which operates the Guardian Unlimited network of Web sites, will use its technologies and services to launch advertising-supported broadband video channels that will feature original, made-for-Web programming produced by Guardian journalists and producers. The programming will also be integrated contextually with news stories and features throughout Guardian Web sites.

Meanwhile, in late August, Brightcove announced that it had been tapped by Telegraph Media Group (publisher of the Telegraph family of daily and weekly newspapers) to power broadband video channels on its Web site, telegraph.co.uk. The channels, which will launch through the end of the year, will feature entertainment and news programming produced by ITN On, the multimedia division of production company, ITN. According to Brightcove, the programming will draw on Telegraph Media's journalistic resources and the multimedia production skills of ITN On, and will cover such areas as arts, fashion, travel, and daily rolling news. "Investing in top-quality video on the Web is part of our strategy of informing and entertaining our viewers at a time of their choosing," Edward Roussel, digital editor at Telegraph Media Group, said in a prepared statement. "We are delighted to be partnering with Brightcove, one of the most innovative companies in video delivery on the Web, to expand and enhance our online offering." (Note: Brightcove's other UK customers include BSkyB, Hachette Filipacchi UK, Sony BMG UK, Emap, and IPC Media.)

• The company has launched a new service, called Brightcove Show. See article in this issue.
• NYC TV, the official television channel of New York City, has tapped the company to power its new broadband video service, NYC TV On-Demand. The service offers several hundred video clips from NYC TV shows; a search engine that allows searches not only by keyword but by neighborhood; clickable pre-sorted programming categories, such as "music," "shopping" "food" or "green" (i.e. programming on parks and the environment in general); automated feeds, allowing end-users who are interested in a particular show or content category to be alerted when relevant content is published on the service; and the ability for users to email clips to their friends and embed links in their own Web sites. The service also features an "online host" who educates users about the tools at their disposal, and messages that scroll across the bottom of the screen, providing information about city services, events or agencies relevant to the clip currently being watched. According to NYC TV, creating the new service and managing it for a year cost just $100,000. The channel's future plans for the service include offering mapping technologies that will allow viewers to quickly locate businesses or events covered in a video.
• The company's technologies, together with technologies from DoubleClick, are powering a new Flash-based broadband video player on the Weather Channel's Weather.com Web site. The player, dubbed Blue Box, features made-for-broadband content, as well as programming from the Weather Channel's linear TV channel, including new shows such as "Epic Conditions." Among other things, the player allows visitors to Weather.com to search and tab-through video content and share videos with their friends, and allows advertisers to place brand-messages in three different areas (note: the player is Interactive Advertising Bureau-compliant). It features five channels--Forecasts, Lifestyle, News/Breaking Weather, On The Weather Channel, and Severe Weather--each with a different color and logo. The player's video ad-serving capabilities are powered by DoubleClick In-Stream, which allows the Weather Channel to schedule, forecast and measure the effectiveness of in-stream video ads within Blue Box, while providing IAB-compliant metrics; it also uses DoubleClick's ad- management and serving solution, DART for Publishers, to manage its advertising inventory. According to Brightcove, the Weather Channel's online arm, Weather Channel Interactive, plans to use its Internet TV platform on a corporate-wide basis, enabling it to syndicate content to its Web site affiliates and through viral distribution via email, blogs and social networks.
• The company has transferred its in-house broadband video portal from Brightcove.com to Brightcove.tv. Brightcove.com now serves purely as a corporate Web site, showcasing the company's services.

ROO Deals: GeoBeats, Fox, AFP, Chat the Planet, NY Post, Shiny, Aardman

-- Company Acquires Peer-to-Peer Assets of Wurld Media

Broadband video specialist, ROO, has generated a fair amount of news over the past few weeks:

• The company said Tuesday that it has formed a content partnership with GeoBeats, a company that produces video travel guides for international destinations. According to ROO, the deal will "significantly strengthen [its] position in the fast-growing $79 billion online travel industry" by enabling it to expand its travel channel with international programming. "GeoBeats video content for the travel industry is some of the freshest and most valuable available today," ROO chairman and CEO, Robert Petty, said in a prepared statement. "GeoBeats' journalists are locals who provide the on-the-ground tips and insights that can't be found in any traditional travel book or Web site. By expanding our travel library with this kind of unique, compelling video content, ROO can greatly enhance users' travel experiences, add value for customers seeking to serve this growing market, and continue to fulfill our commitment to offering the best in content distribution across the board." GeoBeats works with local filmmakers from around the world to develop short videos on international vacation destinations. The company, which has produced around 500 broadband video guides for over 30 destinations, bills its offerings as "a unique combination of professionally generated content and citizen journalism." ROO claims to be one of the largest syndicators of premium video content (including news, travel, healthcare and lifestyle content) on the Web. Its other travel-content partners include Lonely Planet, Watch Mojo, Travelago, Soma Travel, and Veg TV.
• The company said last week that it has signed new content partnerships with Fox Television Stations (FTS), Agence France-Presse (AFP), and Chat the Planet, and that the deals will move it significantly closer to achieving its goal of creating the largest collection of news content available for syndication on the Web. "These partnerships constitute another milestone in ROO's mission to provide more of the unique, compelling, daily refreshed content that drives viewers to sites, keeps them there longer and generates new revenue streams," ROO's Petty said in a prepared statement. "Our work with FOX, AFP and Chat the Planet means our customers will have unparalleled choice in original video news content, including local and regional US news, as well as new international programming." ROO's partnership with FTS will provide it with daily local and regional news videos from 24 Fox owned-and-operated affiliates in major markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. According to ROO, its proprietary content management tools will allow Web publishers that subscribe to its content service to mix and match the FTS videos in accordance with the interests of their sites. The company's deal with AFP, meanwhile, will see it launching a new International channel that features news video in both English and German. Finally, its deal with Chat the Planet will see it offering the latter's original series, "Hometown Baghdad," which will tell the stories of three young Iraqis struggling to survive the war (note: Chat the Planet describes its mission as aiming to create user-generated Web programming by encouraging online discussions of issues of concern to young people).
• The News Corp.-owned New York Post newspaper has tapped the company to launch broadband video and video advertising on its Web site. "The New York Post is one of the most popular media brands in the world and quite possibly the most distinctive," ROO's Petty said in a prepared statement. "ROO's unique video technology and content library, which is among the largest and broadest in the industry, ensures that we'll be able to create an online video experience that will keep visitors on the site longer and keep them coming back for more." According to the New York Post, it decided to launch a broadband video service because of strong demand for such a service both from its readers and its advertisers. ROO also powers broadband video services and syndicated broadband video for a number of other News Corp. properties, including The Times of London, The Sun, The Australian, Fox News and Sky News. News Corp. is an investor in the company.
• The company has partnered with UK-based Shiny Media to launch three new broadband video services, devoted to technology, fashion and lifestyle content respectively. The services will initially launch on Shiny Media's technology blogs, TechDigest.tv and ShinyShiny.tv, and its fashion blogs, CatwalkQueen.tv and Shoewawa.tv, and should eventually be rolled out across the company's entire network of 40 blogs, which reach a claimed audience of 3.5 million unique monthly visitors. They will feature news, reviews, interviews, and other content produced by Shiny Media's in-house content team; this programming will be combined with a selection of content from ROO's own video library. Advertisers will be able to purchase pre-roll ads and MPU's across the three channels; advertising will be sold by Unanimis (which has already secured LG Mobile as brand sponsor for the new fashion service). According to ROO, its flagship ROO Video Exchange platform will allow Shiny Media to self-manage its video content strategy, while also providing the company with full backend hosting, uploading, encoding and streaming of video assets. "For years we've been asked why many of our sites are .tv rather .com--it's only recently people have begun to share our vision for online video as the future of blogging," Shiny Media managing director, Chris Price, said in a prepared statement. "ROO's platform is flexible, robust and easy-to-use, ensuring a user-experience that is more like on-demand TV than video streaming."
• The company has been tapped by Aardman Animations to add broadband video functionality to its "Wallace and Gromit" Web site, as part of a re-launch of that site. This represents the first time that footage from the animation series has been made available online. The re-launched Web site features a mini-player, which links through to a main portal player with full-screen viewing capabilities. Video on offer includes a series of short films and clips from the "Wallace and Gromit" series of animations, and Aardman says it will use the service to showcase future animations in the series. The service is funded by advertising: advertisers can purchase pre-roll video and banner ads (which run across the mini-player and the main video portal) directly from ROO.
• The company says it has acquired the strategic peer-to-peer assets of P2P distribution company, Wurld Media. The price of the transaction was $4.3 million, consisting of $3.2 million in cash and 655,500 shares of ROO common stock. ROO is now working on integrating Wurld's P2P technology into its proprietary ROO Video Exchange (VX) platform, in order to create what it says will be a "hybrid streaming P2P platform that will provide enterprise businesses with a stronger, more robust solution for the delivery of online video and targeted advertising solutions." Such a platform will, among other things, be suited for delivering downloads of long-form content, such as movies and TV shows, ROO says.

Cartoon Network Lets Viewers Control its After-School Slot

On September 24th, Cartoon Network's new media arm launched a 15-week multiplatform initiative, dubbed "Master Control," that is designed to give the channel's young viewers control over its after-school programming block and to build up a fan network at CartoonNetwork.com. Viewers are being invited to go to the Web site and join one of three "Master Control" teams; they can then vote online for which Cartoon Network show they would like to see air Monday through Thursday in the 5:30PM slot, and the team that casts the most votes each Friday decides the entire 4:00PM-6:00PM programming block for that day. "We are committed to delivering multiplatform activities that will spark engagement and empowerment for the Cartoon Network audience," Paul Condolora, SVP and general manager of Cartoon Network New Media, said in a prepared statement. "Master Control does that and offers a Cartoon Network twist to online voting for television programming."

Each "Master Control" team has a homepage that Cartoon Network says is meant to serve as a virtual clubhouse, and that has its own logo and branding that carries through to channel promotions and on-air bumpers. Viewers can switch allegiances between teams throughout the initiative's run. The teams are entitled Shadowmark ("Stealthy and mysterious, Shadowmark achieves its goals by any means necessary"), Vikinators ("Fiercely competitive warriors, the Vikinators never back down") and Blastadons ("Elite warlocks by birthright, Blastadons wield powerful and ancient magic") respectively. "The team home pages will serve as a rallying point for members," Art Roche, Cartoon Network New Media's creative director, explained. "We think kids will love the interactive element of competing against other teams. Fans really will control the destiny of everything, working together to beat their opponents from week to week."

As the Master Control season progresses, Cartoon Network plans to roll out more team-themed activities and extras, culminating in a tournament-play round, the winner of which, the channel says, will gain "even more days of control over the network line-up."

JewishTVNetwork.com Streams Kol Nidre Service

JewishTVNetwork.com, a broadband video service that offers a mix of entertainment and news channels devoted to the Jewish experience, recently offered what it claims is the first-ever live, streaming Kol Nidre service (note: Kol Nidre, considered the holiest Jewish prayer, is recited at the beginning of Yom Kippur). The service took place September 21st at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the oldest synagogue in Los Angeles. "Yom Kippur is the most observed Jewish holiday of the year," Jay Sanderson, CEO of JewishTVNetwork.com's parent company, JTN Productions, said in a prepared statement. "Now everyone, no matter what religion or denomination, will be able to observe the most beautiful and provoking traditions of the Jewish people in a completely new and untraditional way. By taking advantage of our broadband network, JewishTVNetwork.com, we are connecting people throughout the world who are either unable to attend synagogue or interested in learning more about the Jewish traditions." The live Kol Nidre service was just one of a number of programs JewishTVNetwork.com offered to celebrate Yom Kippur and the Jewish New Year celebration (Rosh Hashanah) that preceded it: the other content included programs on cooking, home crafts, religion and Israel.

According to JTN, the streaming Kol Nidre service attracted over 20,000 users, representing JewishTVNetwork.com's highest-ever simultaneous online viewership. As a result of the service's success, the company has announced plans to stream a Shabbat service, led by high-profile Rabbi, Naomi Levy (head of the Jewish outreach organization, Nashuva), on Friday, October 12th.

Cablevision, CNET Launch Interactive/on-Demand Channel

Cablevision has partnered with technology programmer, CNET, to launch an interactive/on-demand channel on its iO ("interactive Optimum") digital cable platform. Dubbed "CNET TV--Powered By Optimum," the free, advertising-supported channel, which is located on channel 607, features a range of on-demand content, including product reviews, tech news commentary, how-to advice, and established CNET shows, such as "Top 5" and "Insider Secrets." It currently offers around 100 titles, and its content is refreshed on a monthly basis. "We are pleased to use the power of interactive television to deliver CNET's award-winning original programming to an audience that clearly appreciates life has gone digital," CNET EVP, Joe Gillespie, said in a prepared statement. "This is a terrific extension of our existing distribution, both on the Web and on TV, and will make it even easier for Optimum customers to make smart and educated decisions when it comes to buying and consuming technology."

In other Cablevision news:

• The company said Wednesday that it plans to retain TBWA/Chiat/Day to provide marketing and advertising support for new interactive TV commerce and bookmarking services that it plans to launch next year, and that will "introduce new categories of advertising inventory for national brands and regional and local advertisers."
• The MSO has begun offering The Jewish Channel as a subscription VOD service for its iO customers. The new service, which is priced at $4.95 per month and located on channel 291 (it can also be accessed from the Optimum Service Upgrade Portal on channel 900), features a mix of Jewish-themed films, documentaries, talk shows, comedy programming, political commentary shows, cooking programs, sports, children's programs and holiday specials.

Chellomedia Interactive Launches ITV Music App on UPC Netherlands

Liberty Global-subsidiary, Chellomedia Interactive, contacted [itvt] last week to let us know that it has launched an interactive TV music application on VPRO's 3VOOR12 Central channel on UPC Netherlands' digital TV platform. Dubbed "Whitenoise" and associated with a show of the same name (airs Saturday nights at 11:00PM), the app presents viewers with a series of images from the photo-sharing Web site, Flickr, that pulsate in rhythm to live DJ mixes by Dave Clarke. Viewers can influence those visuals by entering Flickr tags into the application. When they press the red button, they are presented with a 1/3-screen overlay with a text entry field; they can then use their remote to submit a tag in that field. The tags that viewers submit are then sent to a Flickr "Do-Tank" software tool, where they are searched against the tags associated with images in the Flickr image database. The images found are then broadcast on "Whitenoise," until a new tag is submitted and a new set of corresponding images is broadcast.

BT Vision Expands its Programming Line-Up

UK incumbent telco, BT, has signed a programming deal for its BT Vision service with Fireworks International. (Note: BT Vision is an IP VOD service that is based on Microsoft's IPTV software and a hybrid set-top box from Philips. It allows end-users to access linear channels from the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial service, Freeview, and a range of premium content delivered over the set-top box's broadband connection.) The deal with Fireworks, the TV distribution arm of ContentFilm, will provide BT Vision with three high-profile sci-fi series--"Andromeda," "Mutant X," and "Relic Hunter"--as well as with a number of paranormal-themed shows--including "Real Ghost Stories" and "America's Most Haunted Towns"--from Allumination and Paranormal TV that are being licensed through Fireworks. Each episode of the programs covered by the deal will be priced between 79p and 99p; alternatively, customers can secure unlimited access to the new sci-fi and paranormal programming by subscribing to BT Vision's £6-per-month TV Pack or its £14-per-month TV, Music, Kids and Replay Pack combo.

In other BT Vision news:

• BT is offering a 30-minute interview with yachtswoman, Ellen McArthur, on the service; while the service's recently launched BT Vision Sport offering is planning to showcase footage of McArthur and her sailing team in events such as next year's IMOCA Ocean Racing World Championship, as well as a documentary on her record-breaking non-stop solo global circumnavigation. BT recently announced that it is the title sponsor for McArthur's new sailing team.
• BT has signed a deal with Turner Broadcasting System to make the latter's cult adult-animation program, "Adult Swim," available on BT Vision. Episodes of the show are priced at 79p each, and can also be accessed by customers who subscribe to BT Vision's TV Pack and its TV, Music, Kids and Replay Pack combo.
• In July, BT launched its long-awaited BT Vision Sport service. The service offers "near-live" coverage of 242 Barclays Premier League soccer games (note: BT Vision Sport's "near-live" on-demand offerings are enabled by Motorola's VODxchange real-time MPEG-4 AVC encoding solution), plus 125 Coca Cola League and Carling Cup games, for a monthly subscription of £4 (individual games are priced at £1.99 each--according to BT, this is the first time that full Barclays Premier League games have been available without a subscription); viewers also have the option of purchasing a £12-per-month "Total" package that includes the games offered by the less expensive package, and additionally offers live coverage from Setanta Sports of 46 Premier League matches from England and 60 from Scotland, as well as coverage of other European soccer leagues, US PGA golf, NASCAR racing and Magners League Rugby (note: BT Vision also offers a library of on-demand sports programming from ESPN and IMG). BT has implemented a multi-million-pound marketing campaign to support the launch of BT Vision Sports: the campaign includes national TV and press advertising, leading with the messages that "Premier League football is now at grass roots prices" and "Football now comes without the lengthy contract talks." "We're a sports-loving nation and ordinary fans shouldn't be priced out of the action," BT Vision CEO, Dan Marks, said in a prepared statement. "Millions of fans have resisted subscription services to date and so we feel there's a substantial gap in the market. Highlights on 'Match of The Day' are fine, but many fans want more, particularly those who follow teams that aren't often featured live. BT's unique mix of live and on-demand sport means there is something for everyone, at prices people can afford and on the terms they choose."

Scripps Premieres New Food Network, HGTV Shows on VOD

--Also Uses VOD to Promote "Next Iron Chef"

Scripps Networks is premiering two new shows from its Food Network channel and a special from its HGTV channel on VOD. "Gourmet Next Door" and "2 Dudes Catering" became available on Food Network On Demand on October 8th (the shows will premiere on linear TV on October 14th and 16th respectively); and "What's with that Really Haunted House" became available on October 8th on HGTV On Demand (the special will premiere on linear TV on October 28th); additional episodes of the two Food Network series will be available on VOD through November. According to Scripps Networks, its VOD services now offer over 15,000 hours of programming and are available in over 21 million households.

In other Food Network news: the channel is making available a range of content on its cable VOD service, to promote its new reality series, "Next Iron Chef," which premiered on linear TV on October 7th (note: the series chronicles a competition between eight top US chefs to determine the new culinary champion who will join the team of chefs featured on the show, "Iron Chef America"). The premiere episode of "Next Iron Chef" was made available on Food Network On Demand on October 8th, together with behind-the-scenes featurettes, and sneak peeks of upcoming episodes, and other new episodes of the show will be available the day after their linear broadcast through the end of November. To promote the availability of "Next Iron Chef" on-demand, dekocasts will appear on repeat episodes, reminding viewers that they can catch those episodes and additional content on VOD; "Next Iron Chef On Demand" messaging will appear on the show's Web site; and customizable, taggable spots will be made available to MSO's. "Our time-shifting of 'Next Food Network Star' and 'HGTV Design Star' has been very popular among our On Demand viewers and our MSO partners," Patty Lumpkin, SVP of affiliate marketing at Scripps Networks, said in a prepared statement. "So, it's only natural that we employ this same process for what is sure to be a very successful initiative."

Disney-ABC Offering Free, Full-Length Primetime Episodes on AOL Video

Disney-ABC Television Group has signed a deal with AOL that sees it offering free, ad-supported, full-length episodes of its primetime shows--including shows from its new fall line-up--on the latter's AOL Video portal. The episodes are delivered via a co-branded version of ABC.com's own broadband player, which is based on technology from Move Networks. Episodes are available on the player the day after they air on linear TV, and, for the most part, four episodes of each show are available on the player at any one time. According to Disney-ABC, the agreement marks the first time ABC's primetime programming has been made available on a major portal and also the first time a major portal has offered a full-feature version of a broadcast network's online video player. The deal will also see the companies offering a selection of short-form programming from ABC via an embedded short-form player that will launch on AOL later this year. The short-form programming will include programs derived from existing ABC programs, as well as original content.

RHI to Premiere its TV Movies on VOD

RHI, a production company that specializes in TV movies and miniseries, has launched an initiative that sees it premiering original action, thriller and horror movies on cable VOD systems. The company has signed distribution agreements for the new initiative with Time Warner Cable, Bright House, Cablevision and Cox, and says it expects to sign additional agreements later this year. RHI plans to premiere 24 original movies on VOD during the initiative's first year. Two new movies will premiere each month, and viewers will be able to choose between six RHI movies at any given time. The movies will be offered on a pay-per-view basis, and will be available in both standard- and high-definition. Movies on offer under the initiative include "Black Friday" (stars Judd Nelson), "Maneater" (stars Gary Busey) and "Something Beneath" (stars Kevin Sorbo). Once the movies have premiered on VOD, they will be broadcast on cable networks such as Lifetime, Spike TV and Sci Fi; and will be distributed on home video by Genius Entertainment. In addition to its new pay-per-view VOD offering, RHI is making available a number of its "classic" titles--including "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Prince and the Pauper"--on a free-on-demand service, dubbed RHI Showcase.

TVN in VOD Deals with ResearchChannel, AmericanLife, Outdoor Channel

VOD distribution services company, TVN Entertainment, has signed a number of new deals over the past few weeks:

• A long-term deal with ResearchChannel, a nonprofit consortium of research institutions (including Yale University, the University of Chicago, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and The National Science Foundation), will see TVN representing the latter's VOD service, ResearchChannel On Demand, in attempting to secure carriage agreements with TVN's MSO, telco, DBS and broadband VOD affiliates (note: TVN claims to have over 100 affiliates; in July, it announced that it had signed up its 100th affiliate, Alaskan broadband operator, GCI). As part of the deal, TVN will provide all necessary VOD distribution and asset-management services and will also support marketing partnerships. ResearchChannel's programming--which is designed to showcase the work taking place in the institutions behind the service, and to make new research and other academic content palatable to a general audience--includes interviews, lecture series and special events coverage, and is available on linear TV, broadband and podcasts, as well as on VOD. "ResearchChannel fills an important programming gap left vacant by commercial and public television by bringing cutting-edge science and research to life," ResearchChannel's executive director, Amy Philipson, said in a prepared statement. "We are excited about our relationship with TVN. We look forward to building on the early momentum to connect with consumers who are interested in a taking a free seat in the lecture halls and laboratories of some of the world's best universities and research institutes."
• A multi-year deal with AmericanLife TV Network, a cable channel billed as being devoted to the "Baby Boomer" generation, sees the latter using TVN's services and its ADONISS asset delivery and management system to launch a VOD service, that is being offered at no additional charge to cable operators that carry the linear-TV channel. The AmericanLife TV On Demand service, which launched September 3rd, will eventually feature four programming "showcases": "Lifestyle TV," "Cooking & Living TV," "Caring and Sharing TV," and "Classic TV" (note: the latter will not launch until January, 2008). It will offer 20 hours of programming each month, with a 100% refresh rate.
• A deal with the Outdoor Channel sees the latter designating TVN as the exclusive provider of encoding, asset management, and distribution services for its VOD offering. "TVN is an obvious choice as a leader in the television-on-demand media service arena," Outdoor Channel COO, Tom Hornish, said in a prepared statement. "They deliver content to virtually every on-demand distribution company in the country and will make an outstanding partner in bringing the best programming from our network to affiliates in every state." According to TVN, its deal with the Outdoor Channel significantly expands the amount of VOD content that the latter can offer its distribution partners, and also allows it to offer on-demand content in HD.

In other TVN news: the company recently teamed with Cox Communications to offer a VOD program designed to encourage tourists to return to post-Katrina New Orleans (note: Cox is the incumbent cable operator in that city, and its mayor, Ray Nagin, happens to be a former Cox executive). The program, which was produced by the New Orleans Marketing Tourism Corporation, centers on a public service announcement, in which such celebrities as John Goodman, Dan Akeroyd, Wynton Marsalis and Emeril Lagasse ask viewers to visit the Crescent City; it also features content on New Orleans' dining, entertainment, music, sports and other cultural attractions. TVN is covering the costs of encoding, distribution and menu placement management for any participating cable operator. It also sent out a "VOD alert" to generate interest in the program.

Sesame Workshop Launches Free, Weekly Video Podcast

Nonprofit educational programmer, Sesame Workshop, has launched a free, weekly video podcast based on its popular children's show, "Sesame Street." The five-minute podcast is available on Apple's iTunes service and on Sesame Workshop's own Web site; and viewers can sign up to have it delivered to their video-enabled iPods or other portable media players automatically. Each episode has been put together especially for the podcast, using scenes from current and past "Sesame Street" seasons and animation and live-action films. The first few podcast episodes will feature "Sesame Street's" new literacy-building "What's the Word on the Street?" segments, in which people and animals introduce and define a word: according to Sesame Workshop, a total of 26 new words, including "tricycle," "predicament" and "squid," will be featured on the podcasts. "In previous research, Sesame Workshop has learned that parents are eager to have portable educational media content that they can use with their young children at any time and wherever they might be--helping to fill time on a car ride or while waiting in line at the grocery store while building children's literacy skills at the same time," Glenda Revelle, Sesame Workshop's VP of research/creative development and digital media, said in a prepared statement.

Music Choice in VOD Deal with Mediacom

Multiplatform music programmer, Music Choice, has signed a deal with Mediacom, that sees its free-on-demand music video service offered as part of the cable MSO's package of free VOD content, Mediacom Free Pass. The deal also extends carriage of Music Choice's linear TV channels on Mediacom's platform. Music Choice's VOD service features music videos in multiple genres, as well as original programs such as "Artist of the Month" and "Tha Corner." "Music Choice has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Mediacom over the years," David Del Beccaro, president and CEO of Music Choice, said in a prepared statement. "We are excited to offer Mediacom's digital cable subscribers continued access to our popular music channels and new access to our free-on-demand music service. Millions of music fans across the country are already enjoying our on-demand content, and now Mediacom customers can experience music on-demand by tuning in to Music Choice."

Advertiser

Sky News Holds User-Generated Content Promotion in Second Life

BSkyB's Sky News channel recently organized a user-generated content promotion that invited viewers who are also users of the Second Life virtual reality platform to become "virtual news reporters." Viewers could either report on specific events within Second Life (to lend authenticity to their reports, they were required to pick up a virtual Sky News microphone from the foyer of Sky's virtual newsroom in Second Life) or re-create news events from real life; they could then post their reports (which could not exceed two minutes) on Sky's user-generated content site, SkyCast, and a selection of the entries was then made available on the Sky News Web site.

In related news: Sky Movies recently sponsored a UGC competition on SkyCast, in which viewers were invited to submit a video detailing how they would interview Matt Damon on the red carpet of the Sky Movies-sponsored UK premiere of his movie, "The Bourne Ultimatum." The winner of the competition was given the opportunity to interview Damon on the red carpet in real life.

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