Overview
The emergence of the Internet as a commercially viable distribution channel for original content created specifically for online viewing, as well as repurposed content originally created for traditional media (feature films, documentaries, TV programming, etc…), began in earnest during the mid-1990’s and came of age as broadband Internet became widely available in consumers’ homes during the first decade of the 21st century.
According to Internet World Stats, Internet penetration in North America as of 2011 has reached 78.6 percent, with Internet service reaching more than 273 million people. 1 The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) reports that as of 2010, there were more than 85.7 million fixed broadband Internet subscriptions in the U.S., ranking it second behind China (with more than 126.3 million fixed broadband subscriptions). 2
The rise of mobile broadband and proliferation of smartphones, tablets, laptops and other portable devices which can be used for consuming content has provided numerous additional distribution channels and opportunities for repurposing existing intellectual property from the content owner’s libraries as well as opportunities to create brand new content optimized for specific formats and delivery channels. This phenomenon, while most prevalent in developed, consumer-oriented nations, is also permeating into developing nations such as China, which now accounts for nearly 25 percent of the world’s Internet users. 3
The opportunity presented by over-the-top (OTT) Home Entertainment Media is simple. OTT targets DVD players and video game consoles, Smart TVs and mobile devices with built-in internet connectivity. These devices piggyback on existing network services in consumers’ homes and offices, pulls content from the Internet and delivers it to the consumers TV set or other display unit. It's often referred to as "over-the-top" because the services ride “on top” of the service the user already has (their internet connection) and doesn’t require any additional subscriptions or fees through their network provider.
Digidev has created a proprietary, highly scalable integrated solution which is capable of delivering high quality OTT content across multiple platforms, and is also able to handle all billing and administrative functions associated with this activity. The One Pass Media™ platform allows the content owner to simply upload their content to Digidev servers and to effectively create a virtual “television network” which delivers this content to a consumer’s viewing device of choice, all from a single user login account. This platform is designed to accommodate the needs of enterprise level customers, as well as even amateur content creators (which appeals to the massive group of people creating user-generated content and posting to such channels as YouTube and various social networks).