QuickPlay Media has launched the "Multi-Screen Movie Solution," a managed platform for operators to quickly roll out mobile movie offerings. It's targeted particularly to independent mobile operators looking to carve out their piece of the multibillion-dollar video rental market. In the U.S. and EMEA especially, these operators are struggling against large integrated incumbents and are turning to value-added content to stay viable.
According to IDC, U.S. revenues from the online rental market are forecast to reach $2 billion dollars in 2013. “While interest in online purchases and rentals continues to grow, consumers are turning to independent service providers to deliver this content," said Greg Ireland, research manager in the consumer markets video program at IDC. "As a result the mobile operator risks being left out of the equation."
Thus, the brandable, turnkey software is targeted to that opportunity, and includes a fully customizable storefront, an extensive catalog of new releases, a complete digital locker system and seamless viewing capabilities across smartphones, PCs and other consumer electronics devices. QuickPlay also offers operators the ability to have the service fully integrated with their billing system.
“Entertainment preferences continue to evolve, with a growing population of consumers interested in watching hit movies on whatever device is convenient for them," said Wayne Purboo, president and CEO, QuickPlay Media, in a statement. “The Multi-Screen Movie Solution enables operators to increase customer loyalty and generate incremental revenue by providing a ‘follow me’ service that feeds the subscriber’s desire for both easy access to quality content and flexible viewing experiences."
Through a partnership with Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, QuickPlay is able to deliver a comprehensive catalog of new movie releases from major studios. By leveraging a “day and date" strategy, all movies are then made available on demand or via pre-order concurrent with the DVD release date.
The digital locker includes a cloud-based digital rights and account management system, which supports multiple registered account users and multiple devices for each user. For example, each person can create a unique content queue and set multiple device profiles, with all content being associated with the account rather than the device. As a result users can download their favorite selections to any of the authorized devices in their profile and then switch viewing seamlessly between them as they desire. The account administrator can also set different controls for each registered user including accessible content, budget and time restrictions. Additionally, the solution includes full DRM integration with content provider-approved systems to ensure that specific content can only be viewed by authorized users across authorized devices.
Social discovery and navigation features offer options such as Top 10 movies, user ratings and more. The solution is also fully integrated with popular social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Through these sites customers can share thoughts on movies and forward links for movie previews. Customers are also able to forward download recommendations after which the recipient can immediately sign up for the service and enjoy the movie.
The solution features multiple options via carrier billing, credit card billing and premium SMS including rental, purchase, pre-order (movie downloaded as soon as available) and gifting (promo codes and rewards cards). The solution also offers the ability to add advertising.
