Multiscreen service provider MobiTV has partnered with TV Bank, one of Japan's largest online video providers, to help extend its new pay-TV service, BBTV Next, to connected devices for all its subscribers.
SoftBank-owned TV Bank will use MobiTV's software-based end-to-end multiscreen platform along with its NetDVR (nDVR) technology. According to Rapid TV News, TV Bank's online service launched this week with 12 channels streaming live to subscribers, who pay about $9.15 per month. It plans to expand to 30 channels by next spring.
"Leveraging MobiTV's cutting-edge technology will significantly boost the viewing flexibility we are dedicated to offering our customers," said Tomotaka Nakagawa, CEO of TV Bank, in a joint press release.
"The trends driving change in the way consumers discover, access and watch content are rapidly occurring on a global scale," said Charlie Nooney, CEO and chairman of MobiTV. "We are thrilled to be partnered with a major Japanese provider like TV Bank to make a big splash in the market with terrific content choices for consumers."
BBTV Next may be new to Japanese consumers, but TV Bank is not. Set up by SoftBank in 2005 as a joint venture with Yahoo Japan Corp., TV Bank operates businesses that deliver video content to mobile devices, including SHUUN and SmartLife.
MobiTV recently revealed that it is powering Deutsche Telekom's Entertain to go multiscreen service and nDVR capability.
Updating the multiscreen environment is becoming imperative for video operators worldwide, as online video competition continues to heat up. With rumors surfacing that Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) may be exploring an entry into the Japanese market, TV Bank, and its parent company SoftBank, are likely ensuring that their service remains a staunch competitor to any OTT hopefuls.
For more:
- see the press release
- Rapid TV News has this story
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