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LOS ANGELES, January 4, 2012—Brightcove, a leading global provider of cloud content services, and Roku, a leading streaming platform, today announced they will launch a new SHOWTIME interactive application for Roku devices featuring HD-quality promotional content from the critically-acclaimed hit SHOWTIME series SHAMELESS and the new comedy series HOUSE OF LIES. The newly launched video offerings feature free sample episodes and other content delivered directly to Roku devices via the Brightcove Video Cloud online video platform.
"We are excited to work with Brightcove and Roku to promote some of our most popular programming to the fast-growing Roku community," said David Preisman, Vice President of Interactive TV, Showtime Networks Inc. "Our strong relationship with Brightcove and use of the Video Cloud platform makes it easy for us to bring our video content to new platforms like Roku and expand the reach of our initiatives."
"We are thrilled to work with Showtime Networks, one of the most innovative television programmers in the U.S., to bring this new app to life," said Eric Elia, Vice President of TV solutions at Brightcove. "The Roku audience is made up of many passionate viewers. By integrating with the Roku platform, we are making it easy for programmers like SHOWTIME to reach this audience."
Today, Roku subscribers can watch HD-quality video webisodes, highlights, behind the scenes interviews, and even sample full episodes of the hit shows SHAMELESS and HOUSE OF LIES from SHOWTIME.
Based on the long-running hit UK series created by Paul Abbott, SHAMELESS centers around the dysfunctional Gallagher family – irreverent, endearing, resilient and they’re absolutely, wildly and unapologetically SHAMELESS. Frank Gallagher (Emmy® Award-winner and Academy Award® nominee William H. Macy) is a proud, working-class patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids who, without him, would be…better off. In season two, Fiona (Golden Globe® nominee Emmy Rossum) continues to bear the de facto parent badge/burden, as the Gallaghers brave the heat and humidity of summertime in Chicago, trying to keep cool…and themselves out of trouble. The series also stars Justin Chatwin, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White, Laura Slade Wiggins and special guest star Joan Cusack. SHAMELESS is executive produced by Emmy Award-winning television and film producer John Wells, as well as Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn. Wells developed the series for American Television.
HOUSE OF LIES is the new dark comedy about all the screwed up ways big business is practiced these days. The series, based on the hit tell-all book from best-selling author Martin Kihn (House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time), peels back the bull to reveal a world few know exists and fewer still have experienced. Meet Marty Kaan (Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle), the big-money earner at Galweather&Stearn, along with his hot, young team - The Pod - of big-balling power players – Jeannie (Kristen Bell), Clyde (Ben Schwartz) and Doug (Josh Lawson). Marty and The Pod's work life is all first-class, top-shelf, black Am Ex, the best suites at the nicest hotels. Marty is the ultimate power player and under his direction, this ruthless, pull-no-punches team is here to stick it to the man by beating the corporate suckers at their own game. Dawn Olivieri, Donis Leonard, Jr. and Glynn Turman also star. HOUSE OF LIES is created and executive produced by Matthew Carnahan. Jessika Borsiczky, Stephen Hopkins and Don Cheadle also serve as executive producers.
Showtime Networks is the first organization to take advantage of a newly released sample reference application built by Brightcove, Roku and A Different Engine, a leading San Francisco-based interactive agency. The app is designed to make it easy for Brightcove customers to deliver content to the Roku platform. The app reduces the amount of time involved with user interface design, development and QA, enabling organizations to quickly take advantage of the fast-growing audience using the Roku platform. The app also provides a simple user interface that follows Roku's navigation conventions and built-in connections to Video Cloud playlists. Publishers can also sell their apps if desired using Roku's subscription system.
"Partnering with Brightcove is a great opportunity to bring the dynamic, high quality content that Brightcove customers are publishing on their websites to the Roku platform," said Ed Lee, Vice President, Content Acquisition, at Roku. "SHOWTIME is home to some of the most respected programming on television today, and we are excited to be able to give our customers access to great content from SHAMELESS and HOUSE OF LIES."
About Brightcove
Brightcove Inc., a leading global provider of cloud content services, provides a family of products used to publish and distribute the world's professional digital media. The company's products include Brightcove Video Cloud, the market-leading online video platform, and Brightcove App Cloud, a pioneering content app platform. More than 3,600 customers in over 50 countries rely on Video Cloud to build and operate media experiences across PCs, smartphones, tablets and connected TVs. For more information, visit http://www.brightcove.com.
About Roku
Roku is the leading streaming platform. Since launching the first Netflix streaming player in 2008, Roku has delivered streaming entertainment to more than one million customers in the U.S. Today, Roku features more than 300 entertainment partners including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Pandora and Rovio. The award-winning Roku players, renowned for their ease of use, value and selection of content, are available for purchase at Roku.com and Amazon.com; as well as in retail stores across the nation including Best Buy and Walmart. Roku is founded by Anthony Wood, inventor of the DVR. For more information about Roku, visit www.roku.com.
About Showtime Networks Inc.:
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND, and the network's authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
Press Contacts
Erika Shaffer
SutherlandGold Group for Brightcove
206-972-5514
erika@sutherlandgold.com
Johanna Fuentes
Showtime Networks
212-708-1590
johanna.fuentes@showtime.net
Ha Thai
Roku
408-849-4117
Hthai@roku.com