DIVA AG

DIVA adds 'closed user group' deals to over-the-top success. DIVA AG, the distributor of cross-platform VoD hit movies and TV series, which has seen rapid growth of its over-the-top service delivery, has announced three new deals extending the company's footprint in the 'closed user group' cable landscape. The deals, with Swiss cable companies GGA Maur, MyGate AG and Stafag, will result in DIVA managing video on demand services remotely for all three operators. DIVA will encode its content, deliver it to each operator and manage metadata, pricing and promotions remotely. The operators will host, encrypt, deliver and bill the content to their customers. Nelly Kaufmann, Viewster's Head of Channels, said, "We are delighted to have formalised these three new deals relatively close to home. Our outstanding system for managing assets means we can deliver VoD products on any platform with equal proficiency, as well as run the promotions and refresh the content centrally. If you need content delivered over the top to connected devices, DIVA can do it. If you need it delivered to a closed user group, again DIVA does it. DIVA's VoD content big boost for cable operators. DIVA will provide each of the cable operators with its extensive catalogue of hit movies, TV series and children's TV series. Major Hollywood blockbusters will be added to the offer in 2011."Each deal of this kind generates thousands of incremental subscribers for Viewster, " Ms Kaufmann explained. "We are very keen to work with companies such as these to increase DIVA's access to the valuable 'closed user group' audience."Cable companies and telcos now consider video on demand an important upgrade to their triple-play TV, broadband Internet and telephony offering. Video on demand makes their offerings 'stickier' and more exciting, adds incremental revenues per user and is valuable in helping to reduce churn. With billing relationships often already covering telephone and internet services, cable operators view VoD services such as that provided by DIVA as both a valuable upsell and a defense of their customer base.