All press releases
New FreeviewPlus service from TVNZ, Mediaworks, and Māori TV combines free-to-air broadcast with on-demand online content to deliver audiences a new, interactive viewing experience
Auckland, 2 July 2015 — Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOV), a leading global provider of cloud services for video, has partnered with the three leading free-to-air television broadcasters in New Zealand — TVNZ, Mediaworks and Māori TV — to enable the delivery of a cutting edge Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) service to more than 3.6 million viewers around the country. Powered by Brightcove’s Video Cloud HbbTV solution, the new service, known in New Zealand as FreeviewPlus, seamlessly combines linear broadcast television with On-Demand online viewing.
“HbbTV is the future of free-to-air broadcast television not only in New Zealand but worldwide, because of the amazing viewing experience that combines over-the-air TV with on-demand. Today, we see more than 22 countries that have adopted the standard,” said Mark Blair, Vice President Asia Pacific at Brightcove. “Brightcove is recognised for its expertise in HbbTV deployment, so whether it’s TVNZ, Māori TV, Mediaworks, or others, broadcasters turn to Brightcove for technical solutions, global capability, and a proven track record. This latest deployment in New Zealand follows on previous successes that include powering the HbbTV experience for every commercial free-to-air broadcaster in Australia.”
As of December 2014, approximately 20 million television devices were compatible with HbbTV technology worldwide. HbbTV technology enables broadcasters to seamlessly stream on–demand content with a consistent user experience. Broadcasters are able to gain valuable insights into audience viewing analytics and monetise video content.
Viewers with FreeviewPlus-compatible TV sets or set top boxes will be able to access more than 600 on-demand shows and movies, view a TV guide across multiple channels both eight days forward and backward for catch up on demand content, and have the ability to search content by genre and title.
"FreeviewPlus gives viewers the best of both worlds — access to broadcast television and the freedom of our OnDemand service. Brightcove’s solution has helped enable us to get FreeviewPlus up and running quickly and smoothly,” said Jason Foden, TVNZ’s GM OnDemand.
"We selected Brightcove, along with our broadcast partners, in order to ensure our viewers have a consistent experience across all platforms. Two of our key goals with FreeviewPlus were to deliver an engaging experience and an easy-to-use platform, and Brightcove’s video solutions are the essential foundation,” said Tom Cotter, Chief Information and Product Officer at Mediaworks.
Stephen Smith, Māori Television’s Head of Multi-Platform, said: “With the three major free-to-air broadcasters banding together to bring HbbTV to New Zealanders, we wanted to deliver a consistent, seamless experience to viewers across the country. After evaluating the requirements, it was clear that Brightcove’s people and technology were the right choice.”
**About Brightcove
**BRIGHTCOVE INC. (NASDAQ: BCOV), is a leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for delivering and monetizing video across connected devices. The company offers a full suite of products and services that reduce the cost and complexity associated with publishing, distributing, measuring and monetizing video across devices. Brightcove has more than 5,500 customers in over 70 countries that rely on the company’s cloud solutions to successfully publish high-quality video experiences to audiences everywhere.
Press Contacts
Australia & New Zealand:
James Hutchinson
Sling & Stone for Brightcove
+61 404 786 423
brightcove@slingstone.com
**Nielsen stats:
http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/nz/docs/reports/2015/nz-multi-screen-report-2015.pdf
# # # #
This press release may include forward-looking statements regarding anticipated objectives, growth and/or expected product and service developments or enhancements. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the following words (among others): "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "plan," "should" or "anticipates," or comparable words and their negatives. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations contained in these statements. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K. Brightcove assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of changing circumstances or otherwise, and such statements are current only as of the date they are made.