Source: Private Media Group Inc.
By: Company Press Release
(BARCELONA, SPAIN) — Private Media Group Inc.(Nasdaq: Prvt) announced today the launch of its content on the Canal+ Group’s Video-on-Demand (Vod) service “Canal-Play” on Free’s IPTV platform “Freebox TV” in France.
As part of Free’s Triple-Play service, “Freebox TV” offers more than 200 TV channels and access to Canal-play’s VOD catalogue which includes 2,500 videos, of which 1,500 are feature length movies. The VOD service offers full DVD functionality, including all standard functions such as pause, rewind, fast forward, chapter skip, etc.
With this agreement Private takes another step forward in its aggressive IPTV strategy for Europe, which includes to have its content accessible to more than 90% of French IPTV subscribers before the end of 2007. The agreement provides access to hundreds of titles from Private’s extensive proprietary movie library and includes both new releases as well as classic blockbuster titles.
Peter Cohen, COO of Private Media Group commented: “We are extremely happy with being able to feature our content on the CanalPlay platform via Freebox TV. This agreement represents another strategic move for Private in the dynamic European IPTV/VOD market*. France, with its population of 62 million people, is currently the world’s leading IPTV market and by adding this agreement to our IPTV/VOD distribution we now cover approximately 75% of all IPTV subscribers in France.”
Cohen continued: “Through consolidation taking place in the French marketplace this year, we expect to cover more than 90% of all IPTV subscribers in France before the end of the year. In addition, the French market in general is expected to generate the bulk of the forecasted aggressive growth in the European IPTV market this year. Consequently we expect this development to have a very positive impact on our business going forward.”
The Company is of the firm belief that IPTV in Europe will be the TV delivery platform of choice for the Pay-TV consumer. This is based on its superior functionality which provides added value, the convergence of telephony, Internet access and digital television into Triple-Play and the general perception among media research firms and industry leaders in the media and telecom sectors.
