Imagination TV, Inc. announces today a partnership with SimplyMe for National distribution of its shows across cable, satellite, set-top-boxes, IPTV, Internet, mobile and television platforms.
Under the agreement, SimplyMe Distribution will use its contracts with providers to place Imagination TV shows across on-demand platforms which include: Verizon FiOS, XBOX, Comcast Xfinity VOD, DISH Hopper, DISH Network VOD, TiVo, Roku, Apple TV and Verizon Wireless. Through "The Media Circle of Trust," the advertising agency at Saatchi & Saatchi, SimplyMe will place advertising within each Imagination TV show watched on demand. SimplyMe will cover distribution costs and share in the advertising revenues with Imagination TV.
Shows which will be available on-demand are Imagination TV original productions: UnCommon Denominator, Cooking For Bachelors 101 and Start-Up Stories. Also, one-on-one interviews and speeches by the world's most fascinating motivators and producers in the area of self-help filmed at Secret Knock.
Imagination TV recently announced, "Imagination TV to Film and Air Secret Knock, A Forbes Listed 'Can't Miss' Conference For Entrepreneurs In 2015".
"We are quite excited about such a great opportunity to work with Imagination TV and be involved with such a great niche of programming that both cable providers and ad agencies alike see such a promising future financially. With that said, we are poised to launch Imagination TV on a large scale. Please stay tuned," says SimplyMe Distribution's CEO Krystol Cameron.
In a recent story by Colin Dixon at nscreenmedia.com, he writes, "The signs are everywhere that the power of live television is waning. From the increasing financial muscle of SVOD (subscription video on demand) companies to the behavior of consumers, we are moving toward a new equilibrium between 'on-demand' and 'live television' viewing."
Dixon continues, "The news that SVOD (subscription video on demand) providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu will likely spend $5.2B on movies and TV shows in 2014 should be an eye-opener for those in traditional TV. The fact that this figure will increase 31%, to $7B, in 2015, even more so. In a business where money talks, these numbers speak loudly."
New research from Parks Associates shows on-demand video accounts for 49% of the video consumed on the TV, and it is already the majority, 60%, of TV video viewed by consumers 18-24.
Barbara Kraus, Director of Research, Parks Associates, said, "Growing consumer demand, alongside new OTT service announcements (delivery of media over the Internet without the involvement of a cable system in the control of distribution of the content) from HBO and CBS, is driving all players in the video ecosystem to add streaming capabilities to their devices."
"We are experiencing a major shift in streaming media. This is a two-pronged shift – one on the content side and one on the hardware side. In the end, the solution that offers consumers the most content choices and the ability to watch that content on the most devices easily will be the one that wins," says Imagination TV's CEO Steven Samblis. "With this in mind, we knew distribution over multiple on-demand platforms was crucial to Imagination TV's growth. SimplyMe gives us the best opportunity to provide a higher degree of content options across the easiest-to-use devices. The partnership also will monetize our on-demand views."
SimplyMe Distribution will also represent Imagination TV to broadcast two-hour weekly Imagination TV blocks across broadcast systems. The hosted block includes shows from Imagination TV that inspire, motivate, and entertain viewers. The shows are built around the world's most fascinating motivators, producers, educators, and authors. Each hosted two-hour block includes Imagination TV productions of UnCommon Denominator, Cooking For Bachelors 101 and Start-Up Stories. Also in the block are one-on-one interviews and speeches by the world's most fascinating motivators and producers in the area of self-help. The two-hour block generates revenues from sales of commercial spots during breaks. Another revenue source is the sale of products on myImaginationtv.com, to which the host refers viewers for more information about the shows and the speakers they were just watching.
Imagination TV is a diverse digital media company with a growing portfolio. Imagination TV delivers integrated digital marketing solutions, as well as the latest in content marketing, video, display and mobile advertising solutions, social intelligence and reporting across all screens. With unmatched local-to-national reach, Imagination TV is a one-stop-shop for agencies and brands that want to effectively and efficiently reach their target audiences on all screens.
SimplyMe has a vast distribution footprint which to this day remains as a major barrier to entry amongst other online competitors in the space. SimplyMe has direct and indirect agreements through and/or with such companies as Dish Network, Comcast, Verizon, Cablevision and regional TV groups. SimplyMe has seen success in the ability to package and deliver content to TV stations and later take a share of revenues. They are one of the largest media and channel distributors in the US with over 90 thousand hours of media under management across an array of channels.