blinkx Takes on TV; Patented Technology to Power Search, Recommendations and Ad Targeting on Miniweb's Pioneering Interactive TV
12 May 2009 - 10:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
World's most advanced video search engine available through the
television SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- blinkx,
the world's largest video search engine, today announced a
technology integration agreement with Miniweb, the Interactive
Service Provider that is enabling internet video, interactivity and
targeted web-style advertising on TV. Under the terms of the
agreement Miniweb will use blinkx's industry-leading software for
video search, syndication, recommendations, targeting and
personalization as part of its online services platform. This will
allow audiences to seamlessly search and discover broadcast
television and internet video from multiple sources on blinkx's
index of 35 million hours of video content using Miniweb-enabled,
broadband-connected devices. The rapid proliferation of broadband
connectivity to the home means that it is now possible for millions
of viewers to connect their TV devices to home networks, bringing
together the power of TV and the internet. As a result, traditional
television has evolved into a connected platform for internet
derived content and services that offers viewers a personalized,
on-demand, and community driven experience - true next generation
TV. Miniweb, a pioneer in delivering internet content to TV
devices, and the recipient of the Best Interactive
Service/Application award at IPTV World Forum 2009, has selected
blinkx as a technology partner to enhance the video capabilities on
its platform. By partnering with Miniweb, which is already live in
more than 9 million UK homes and supports over 600 interactive TV
Sites, blinkx's sophisticated search and recommendation
capabilities for internet video will now be part of Miniweb's
broadband TV experience to consumers through their televisions.
"Combining broadcast and broadband TV will provide audiences with
access to an incredibly rich and diverse universe of video
content," said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO, blinkx. "As
the leader in video search, blinkx is ideally suited to help
viewers navigate this universe, both through search and through
recommendations. Miniweb is a true visionary in the Interactive TV
space and we're thrilled to be included as part of its platform to
help enable personalized online video and give viewers access to a
wide range of additional entertainment through their TVs." The
personalization of TV is a major trend that is currently being
explored throughout the industry, from the content owner through to
the device manufacturer. Miniweb's internet gateway and device
agnostic services platform addresses necessary business and
consumer needs for the delivery of internet video to TV devices.
Its services platform manages the quality of the overall
experience, and delivers centralized recommendations, search,
payments and personalization for TV viewers. Device manufacturers
and operators deploying the platform benefit from a next
generation, connected TV proposition which provides much needed
additional revenue streams. "We're pleased to include blinkx's
market leading video search, recommendations and personalization
technology as a core function within our platform," said Andrew
Carver, CEO of Miniweb. "We're seeing great interest from network
operators, content owners and TV device manufacturers in our
platform as it helps them deliver and manage the convergence of
traditional broadcast programming with internet delivered video
content. This is a very attractive proposition for viewers,
allowing them to enjoy additional entertainment on the TV rather
than a PC. This also will allow web-like business models to emerge
on TV, which enables our business partners to benefit from valuable
targeted advertising and revenue shares from TV viewer
transactions." "Combining two best of breed technologies into a
single TV services platform is definitely a case of the total
consumer benefit being more than just the sum of the parts," stated
Ian Valentine, founder and chief architect at Miniweb Interactive.
"We are very excited about being able to offer broadcasters, for
example, the ability to recommend specific catch-up TV content
based directly on the viewing context of their audience, or to
enable devices serviced by our platform to gain access to
multi-aggregator internet video search capabilities, enhanced by
the personalization, community and localization capabilities of the
Miniweb platform." As the pioneer in video search technology,
blinkx has built a reputation as the smartest way to find rich
media on the web. The company has made more than 450 partners and
indexed over 35 million hours of video and audio content to date.
About blinkx blinkx plc (LSE AIM: BLNX) is the world's largest and
most advanced video search engine. Today, blinkx has indexed more
than 35 million hours of audio, video, viral and TV content, and
made it fully searchable and available on demand. blinkx's founders
set out to solve a significant challenge - as TV and user-generated
content on the Web explode, keyword-based search technologies only
scratch the surface. blinkx's patented search technologies listen
to - and even see - the Web, helping users enjoy a breadth and
accuracy of search results not available elsewhere. In addition,
blinkx powers the video search for many of the world's most
frequented sites. blinkx is based in San Francisco and London. More
information is available at http://www.blinkx.com/. About Miniweb
Interactive Miniweb, the Interactive Service Provider with
headquarters in the UK, delivers a converged broadcast and
broadband entertainment experience that provides Internet Video and
web-style interactivity for TV viewers. This allows broadcasters,
network operators, content owners and advertisers to easily and
cost effectively deliver new services and business models to
monetise viewer see, search and spend actions. The Miniweb
platform, which is already deployed in over 9 million homes, is
designed to enable next generation TV services over broadband,
providing access to internet video, personalisation, social
networking and web-style recommendations. Winner of 'Best
Interactive Service / Application' at the 2009 IPTV World Series
Awards. For more information please visit: http://www.miniweb.tv/
DATASOURCE: blinkx CONTACT: Tim Turpin of Sparkpr, +1-415-321-1894,
; or Nicole Love of Marlin PR, +44 207 869 8328, ; or NOMAD,
Charles Lytle of Citi, all for blinkx; or David Bramley, , or Ian
Westover, both of Platform PR, +44 20 7486 4900, for Miniweb Web
Site: http://www.blinkx.com/
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