Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Landmark Viewster patent decides dynamically to offer users
'free' or 'pay' viewing of movies on demand.
Fast growing VoD movie service Viewster will become the first
platform to be able to dynamically compare its viewers with
advertising inventory on offer from its ad-serving partners and
decide to offer the viewer the choice between paying to watch the
movie without interruption, or viewing it free of charge with
advertising.
The dynamic 'pay or ads' offer, provided under technology for
which Viewster parent company DIVA AG this month filed for patent
protection in the US and EU, will be made active as a unique
feature of Viewster by May 2011.
"We are certain that users will love this system as it gives them
the best possible choice of how they want to obtain their movie,"
said Jörg Boksberger, CTO and co-founder of DIVA. "It's the element
other hybrid free/paid models are missing. Our plan is to include
this as a key part of our technology platform and of the suite of
solutions which we use to best serve our customers."
Viewster launches dynamic 'choose how you view' technology.
The new technology will mean Viewster will be able to take a
dynamic decision to offer movies, or parts of movies, to be viewed
free of charge, so long as it holds rights to show the particular
movie without payment and there is advertising inventory
available from its ad partners for which the user in question
provides a profitable profile match.
Two separate users may very well not find the same options on
offer, even if choosing the same movie. Whether a user is offered
free ad-supported viewing depends on whether his or her profile
would make possible a profitable match with the ad inventory
available at that precise moment and in that specific
location.
Viewster pays tribute to success of Spotify.
Kai Henniges, CEO of DIVA AG, is a known admirer of the business
model of music site Spotify, and is optimistic that the 'free' or
'ads' choice will help Viewster to establish a similarly committed
following amongst movie viewers.
"This technology aligns the interests of film makers and viewers
for the first time," said Henniges. "It ensures that movies
get the widest possible audience while respecting the commercial
interests of the creative talent that made them."
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