Troll
06-13-2006, 11:16pm
U.S. download site offers CBC video clips
A U.S.-based download store has begun offering its customers video segments from the CBC, primarily news and current affairs.
HandHeld Entertainment of San Francisco operates the ZVUE.com download store, which has a mix of news, music and entertainment.
Users can download the digital video for 99 cents or $1.99 US using Microsoft's Windows Media Video or on HandHeld Entertainment's ZVUE portable media player.
Unlike the streaming video offered on CBC's own website, CBC.ca, these video clips can be downloaded and kept by the customer.
CBC can only sell programs for which it owns or has negotiated full rights, said Bob Kerr, director of business development and digital programming at CBC.
The CBC content on the HandHeld site is mainly news, with eight to 10 items from newscasts such as Canada Now and The National offered every day.
However, the site also has downloads from Fashion File, a Retrobites item about the Chuvalo-Ali fight and a 16-minute Lifestyle item about Shania Twain and Joni Mitchell from CBC's files.
"Our strategy is two-fold — to get CBC content out there and to make as much money as possible," Kerr said in an interview Tuesday.
CBC is experimenting with different partners to see what kinds of downloads consumers are willing to buy, he said. The deal with Handheld Entertainment is not exclusive and the same items may be offered elsewhere.
HandHeld Entertainment has a particular niche in the U.S. market — it is geared to handheld devices and wants news and current affairs items, Kerr said.
The ZVUE site will have selections from The Naughty Pig, Taste of Beckles and Zed, as well as news and current affairs items that change daily.
CBC also is selling video segments through Rogers Yahoo high-speed in Canada and had a deal with Bell Mobility for Olympic coverage.
More such video and cellular deals are likely to be struck over the next few years, some of them involving bundles of products, Kerr said.
"It's not a mature market right now. It's not seeing high user adoption yet," he said. "There's not much appetite yet to pay for video.…Our strategy is to try out new service platforms until we see what works."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/06/13/handheld-cbc.html
A U.S.-based download store has begun offering its customers video segments from the CBC, primarily news and current affairs.
HandHeld Entertainment of San Francisco operates the ZVUE.com download store, which has a mix of news, music and entertainment.
Users can download the digital video for 99 cents or $1.99 US using Microsoft's Windows Media Video or on HandHeld Entertainment's ZVUE portable media player.
Unlike the streaming video offered on CBC's own website, CBC.ca, these video clips can be downloaded and kept by the customer.
CBC can only sell programs for which it owns or has negotiated full rights, said Bob Kerr, director of business development and digital programming at CBC.
The CBC content on the HandHeld site is mainly news, with eight to 10 items from newscasts such as Canada Now and The National offered every day.
However, the site also has downloads from Fashion File, a Retrobites item about the Chuvalo-Ali fight and a 16-minute Lifestyle item about Shania Twain and Joni Mitchell from CBC's files.
"Our strategy is two-fold — to get CBC content out there and to make as much money as possible," Kerr said in an interview Tuesday.
CBC is experimenting with different partners to see what kinds of downloads consumers are willing to buy, he said. The deal with Handheld Entertainment is not exclusive and the same items may be offered elsewhere.
HandHeld Entertainment has a particular niche in the U.S. market — it is geared to handheld devices and wants news and current affairs items, Kerr said.
The ZVUE site will have selections from The Naughty Pig, Taste of Beckles and Zed, as well as news and current affairs items that change daily.
CBC also is selling video segments through Rogers Yahoo high-speed in Canada and had a deal with Bell Mobility for Olympic coverage.
More such video and cellular deals are likely to be struck over the next few years, some of them involving bundles of products, Kerr said.
"It's not a mature market right now. It's not seeing high user adoption yet," he said. "There's not much appetite yet to pay for video.…Our strategy is to try out new service platforms until we see what works."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/06/13/handheld-cbc.html