Media and Marketing Europe

15th February 2007

Emap unveils major video on demand initiative

By Graham Hayday

Emap Performance, the consumer-facing digital division of Emap plc, is launching three branded video on demand services for film, motorbike and golf enthusiasts tomorrow.

Users will be able to download a selection of films and programming, ranging from major movies to bespoke golf tutorials, via their PCs and laptops.

Emap's related magazine brands - Empire for movies, Motorcycle News (MCN) for bikes and Today's Golfer for golf - will be used to drive traffic to the sites which host the IPTV (internet protocol TV) content.

Arts Alliance Media's (AAM) video on demand (VoD) network, Vizumi, will power the service. The content will be a combination of titles from AAM's archives, including films from studios such as Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros, and bespoke programming produced by Emap. At launch, 350 hours of content will be available to download across the three sites.

www.empiremoviedownloads.com will feature a range of movies, including Superman Returns, Taxi Driver, Ocean's 11, The Matrix, King Kong, Harry Potter, The Bourne Supremacy and The Da Vinci Code, as well as classics like Casablanca.

The MCN site, www.mcnbikedownloads.com, will feature big races, stunts and documentaries, while www.TGgolfdownloads.com will host playing tips from the likes of coach David Leadbetter and features such as a look at the history of the British Open.

Films via the Empire site will be available to rent from £2.99 (€4.25) or to own from £5.99 (€8.50). www.TGgolfdownloads.com and www.mcnbikedownloads.com will feature content that will be rentable from £1.99 (€2.80).

Emap Performance said it is already looking at launching download sites built around other genres of specialist content.

The move follows Emap's deal with BT to provide branded music video on demand services and programming for BT Vision, the telco's TV-via-broadband service, which launched in December, and the purchase of mobile technology company Yospace.

Dharmash Mistry, MD, Emap Performance and Emap Consumer Media, said: "We believe the future, from both consumer and content creator perspective, is about 360-degree platform commissioning, that is, creating content which can be used across magazines, TV, IPTV and mobile. The launch of branded VoD in film, golf and motorbikes available on the web is an example of video content being created for multiple platforms."

Steve Buckley, head of TV ventures, Emap Performance, said: "This VoD initiative will showcase the power of Emap brands to identify and retail specialised content, from cult movies to rare motorcycle footage and interactive golf tuition, as well as the more obvious blockbusters."