Competitive lead grows as thematic broadcaster spreads online distribution
2010-04-20
Horse & Country TV ("H&C TV"), the world's largest digital channel devoted to horse sports and country activities (SKY channel 280 and www.horseandcountry.tv), announced today two new agreements to broaden its online distribution and advertising sales.
sevenload GmbH, based in Cologne, a leading global social media network for web video and photos, and Web TV Enterprise, the UK’s largest premium online video advertising sales network, have today signed a content distribution partnership and advertising pre-roll agreement, respectively. The new relationships monetise both H&C’s extensive online video library and growing website traffic.
Through sevenload, H&C TV will now have its own branded online channel initially made available on the en.sevenload.com website that will showcase editorially selected H&C TV content along with sevenload’s own pre-roll advertising. The delivery of video content and advertising via the sevenload network is an ideal distribution channel for the extensive H&C TV catalogue. "We are thrilled to work with H&C TV to further distribute their content. We believe that this partnership not only underlines our own content distribution strategy, but provides H&C TV’s brand with another outlet for reaching a larger audience outside of traditional content distribution,” commented Axel Schmiegelow, sevenload's CEO.
Through this partnership, H&C TV will reach a new and significant audience anticipated to be in the region of 20 million users/visitors a month worldwide. sevenload’s extensive international reach, with 22 country portals in 12 languages, is built from an eclectic mix of content as well as modern Web 2.0 features and functions. It enables H&C TV to reach not only the mass market and broader target groups, but also focused, niche target groups with advertising messages.
Web TV Enterprise will provide H&C TV’s website with pre-roll ad spots. Web TV Enterprise exclusively represents premium content from partners including Universal Music, Simply Media, Future Publishing and IPC Media. Jamie Estrin, MD of Web TV Enterprise, said: "H&C TV brings a great line up of long-form programming to our premium network and offers VOD advertisers the ability to reach a unique affluent audience."
Further to today's news, H&C TV is delighted to announce 140,000 monthly video downloads. This represents a significant upward trend since the new Management launched the website in June 2009.
In line with new quality programming and stronger media platform distribution access, H&C TV's Facebook following exceeds 28,000 fans. The news follows recent updates regarding the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials for which H&C TV has global broadcast and online distribution rights. As a result of H&C TV’s efforts, Badminton highlights will be broadcast this year in 196 countries, as well as being available through multiple online outlets.
Heather Killen, Chairman of H&C TV, said: "The comprehensive strategy review and re-organisation we implemented on taking control of H&C at the end of 2008 is now beginning to bear fruit. The H&C TV business model is cross-platform and international, partnering with both sevenload and Web TV Enterprise is a timely move to extend our leading position in key overseas territories where interest levels in horse sport are high and growing".