Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) may be by far the biggest cable operator, but it also increasingly plays in the online video space, as evidenced by announcements that its online video publishing company subsidiary thePlatform is extending its mpx system and that it's expanded its live streaming content library to include multiple Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) channels.
By extending its mpx system, thePlatform will allow users to buy access to TV shows or movies on multiple devices by allowing content owners or service providers to set up rules for selling customized bundles of video. It includes an automated workflow to apply pricing templates to videos as they are "ingested and published," according to a story in Multichannel News.
The new add-on expands thePlatform's mpx, which previously supported ad-backed and subscription-based video offerings by providing a way to deliver single purchases or content packages via computers, tablets and smartphones.
"The premium video marketplace is maturing beyond traditional monetization vehicles (and) our new video commerce system will enable customers to differentiate and sell highly customized video packages and promotions across screens," Mary Roberts, senior vice president of sales and marketing for thePlatform, said in the story.
Comcast acquired thePlatform in 2006 and counts among its customers Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Cablevision (NYSE: CVC), Cox Communications, Liberty Global (Nasdaq: LBTYA) and Rogers Communications (NYSE: RCI)--as well as E! Entertainment, Golf Channel, Style Network, SyFy, USA Network, Travel Channel Media and truTV.
The Disney channels are being added to the service provider's xfinitytv.com offering as part of a deal Comcast cut with The Walt Disney Co. They include Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD across multiple TV Everywhere devices, J.T. Ramsay, chief blogger for Comcast, said in a blog post.
For more:
- see this story
- and this blog post
Related articles:
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thePlatform to power TV Everywhere distribution for USA, Syfy, Oxygen