Online video company ZillionTV, which has postponed its launch until later this year and has changed CEOs, has scored another content partnership, this time with MLB.com. The deal will allow users to see archived games of the week, classic games and FastCast video recaps. ZillionTV will offer the content as advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) programs, meaning that ZillionTV viewers get free access in exchange for watching a select set of ads at the start of the program.
"We're one of the first on-demand services to bring major league sports content to our viewers right from the start," said Mitch Berman, executive chairman of ZillionTV. "The addition of MLB.com to our content portfolio means that we're helping expand the reach of major professional sports within the growing digital space and attracting a new generation of fans who are eager to watch sports programming on their schedule and their terms."
More content deals, advertising relationships and acquiring commercial partners were the impetus behind the CEO changeout that saw founder Berman move from CEO to executive chairman. Telecom vet Jack Lawrence took over as CEO in October.
In addition to MLB.com, ZillionTV also snagged a deal with Hollywood studio Lionsgate in October.
ZillionTV says the new deal with ML.com demonstrates that content providers can generate new revenue streams from valuable on-demand programming without additional costs to viewers.
ZillionTV viewers have three possible viewing choices depending upon what options are offered by each content owner tied to its specific programming: they watch ad-supported programs for free, rent programs for a nominal fee, or "buy to own."
For more:
- see this release
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