Advanced Television

FilmOn spreads Voice of America

July 7, 2014

By Colin Mann

Alki David, CEO of Internet TV provider FilmOn, has revealed that the platform is to televise content from Voice of America (VOA), the largest international broadcaster of the US government.

Under the historic agreement, FilmOn.com will become the first global IPTV provider to carry VOA’s highly acclaimed English language news and features content, which will be available by PC, tablet and smartphone.

David said: “This is an exciting partnership that will make available some of the most socially and politically important content that America has to offer the world. FilmOn is extremely proud to be chosen work with the federal government in this way to provide our viewers with an unrivalled service on a global basis.”

Voice of America was founded in 1942 and produces 1,800 hours of programming every week in 46 languages.

It is traditionally broadcast via a network of transmitting stations operated by the International Broadcasting Bureau as well as local affiliates and attracts a weekly audience of 164 million people outside of the USA.

Under the new arrangement, FilmOn will broadcast a channel exclusively dedicated to VOA’s English-language programming, plus an additional channel, VOA Persian News Network, which will transmit in Persian.

VOA’s highly-successful programming ranges from flagship news shows such as The Correspondents to hit entertainment programs such as Border Crossings, a music magazine show that features interviews with stars such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

FilmOn’s agreement with VOA follows hot on the heels of agreements it has signed with a range of public broadcasters around the globe, including Euronews, ABC in Australia, Deutsche Welle in Germany, TVE in Spain and France 24.

David noted that leading broadcasters were choosing to work with FilmOn in order to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that are created by sharing in its global audiences via digital platforms. “Wherever you are in the world, FilmOn offers a unique choice of content that includes everything from the world’s most respected news channels to the best live entertainment, music and sport,” he claimed.

The VOA agreement comes during a period of significant growth for FilmOn.com, which says it is raising the stakes in the battle over the future of television by opening up local TV to global audiences in ways never seen before.

The company has launched a new service that lets viewers remotely watch local television broadcasts. Through its ‘Teleport Technology’, a person in New York (for example) can connect to the service via a micro antenna assigned exclusively to that person at a remote location in another city.

This mini antenna is attached to a micro desktop computer in the same location as the antenna, so that the user can view local television available to that micro antenna and watch the signal from the micro desktop that has also been assigned to the user for that session.

The service has launched in cities across the USA and Europe.

FilmOn.com also now has partnerships with a number of leading advertising networks. In addition to attracting large audiences via its branded platforms, FilmOn’s affiliate scheme has seen some 2,500 sites sign up to its white label service. Under this scheme third party sites are able to show FilmOn’s content and receive a share of subsequent advertising revenue.

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