BT Media And Broadcast Reveals Diverse U.S. Interest In BT Mediahive
US organizations are understanding the true potential of their digital content and investigating content management capabilities and associated revenue streams
Las Vegas, NV — BT Media and Broadcast Services (BTM&B), the digital media and broadcast services arm of BT, today revealed that a broad cross section of U.S. companies are expressing interest in BT Mediahive, its digital content management platform.
BT is currently talking to organizations from a range of sectors, including major broadcasters, content owners, commercial image archives, film production houses, music distribution companies, media and advertising agencies, and multi-national corporations about their management of digital content and the potential revenue generating opportunities that exist. BT Mediahive is able to capture, store, manage and distribute any type of media file, including video, audio and still images, to any number of media- enabled devices, including Television, PCs and mobile phones. As a result, BT Mediahive offers a multitude of new channels to market for content and media owners, while making the process of content storage and distribution cost effective. Stored content can be made available in a range of ways, whether on a free-to-air basis to authorized customers and employees, or on a paid-for basis for consumers.
Bill McNamara, General Manager, BT Media and Broadcast Americas,said: "Major League Baseball is a great example of an organization that we are working with to take full advantage of the digital environment. MLB.com's online revenues increased from $36 million in 2001 to $130 million in 2004 - there are now 800,000 paying customers listening to and watching MLB content online."
"The growth in the overall volume of digital content that already exists can not be underestimated and will only increase. BT Mediahive gives the market a scaleable, secure and low cost solution that can dramatically reduce the time it takes to get content to target audiences, regardless of the initial format or the outplay medium," continued McNamara.
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (February 2005), the mobile content market will reach $70 billion in 2008 of which mobile video content will represent $5.7 billion. The number of video enabled cell phones is expected to grow from 65 million in 2004 to 712 million by 2008. And according to JupiterResearch, the value of the US digital music subscription and download market was $271 million in 2004 and is expected to nearly double to $511 million in 2005.
Bill McNamara continued: "There is clearly an enormous opportunity here. But there is an even bigger opportunity in terms of service companies that wish to use digital content internally, or that currently distribute content in one format and wish to broaden that. If the number of mediaenabled devices reaches a fraction of that predicted, the volume of digital content that will need to be stored, managed and distributed will be truly astonishing." In the UK, BT has already been working closely with the music industry, where its partnership with Blueprint has enabled audio, video and mobile to be bundled together for online retail and distribution. In France, BT has also been working with TPS, a major French satellite broadcaster, to manage and playout its UK Premier League soccer content.
BT Media and Broadcast has invested significantly in its digital content capabilities and recently revealed plans to extend its global capability by establishing digital media hubs in the U.S., Asia and in continental Europe.
About BT
BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions serving
customers in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. Its principal activities
include IT and networking services, local, national and international
telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and internet
products and services.
BT consists principally of three lines of business:
- "BT Retail, providing a comprehensive range of communications and related services to more than 20m UK consumers and businesses.
- "BT Wholesale, providing network services and solutions within the UK to more than 600 fixed and mobile operators and service providers including the provision of broadband and private circuits.
- "BT Global Services, providing IT and networking services to meet the needs of multi-site organisations globally. BT Global Services operates in more than 130 countries and also offers international carrier services.
BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
About BT Media and Broadcast
BT Media and Broadcast (BTM&B) is the digital media and broadcast services
arm of BT, which is responsible for the provision of fully managed broadcast
services and the development of the commercial opportunities presented by
digital content. Its international customer base includes broadcasters and
content and rights owners within the television, film and media industries,
along with the corporate and government sectors.
BTM&B provides bespoke satellite and fibre-based solutions, using sophisticated digital content and data management technology, to transport and manage video, audio and data. Delivering live broadcasts from major international events, providing digital terrestrial TV (DTTV) networks and direct to home (DTH) satellite platforms and storing and securely distributing video content to broadband devices are just some of the areas in which BTM&B excels. An industry pioneer, BTM&B aims to deliver the highest quality of service, flexibility and efficiency through advanced technology and industry expertise.
BTM&B is part of BT Global Services. BT Global Services is BT's business services division, which serves multi-site organizations with European operations.
For more information, please visit: www.bt.com/media-broadcast
Source: BT Media and Broadcast Services