Ericsson secures QYOU content distribution deal
July 13, 2017
QYOU Media, a specialist curator of premium ‘best-of-web’ video for multiscreen delivery, has agreed a new distribution agreement with communications technology and services giant Ericsson that brings its curated online video content to the Ericsson Unified Delivery Network (UDN) ecosystem. This programming will create new monetisation opportunities for both businesses by attracting and engaging hard-to-reach millennial audiences on tens of millions of connected TVs and set-top boxes.
Ericsson’s UDN was established in 2016 as an alternative to traditional content delivery network business models, by leveraging Ericsson’s global service provider partnerships. The UDN ecosystem helps service providers, content providers and IPTV providers worldwide to offer optimised delivery of over-the-top services and high-quality video content.
Ericsson will deliver QYOU content over UDN to existing customers, while also introducing QYOU’s millennial-focused programming to Ericsson’s service provider customer base, many of whom are seeking new ways to connect with a generation of viewers that has grown up on a steady diet of web video entertainment. The ad-supported content distribution model is designed to create new monetisation opportunities for QYOU, Ericsson and service providers.
In addition to delivering QYOU’s content via UDN, Ericsson will also distribute The QYOU app on connected TVs and set-top boxes. This will bring QYOU’s content to tens of millions of consumers with the app featured on device homepages. There will also be provision for QYOU to add localised content to new connected devices and new markets.
“Many of the world’s largest service providers and content providers use our UDN ecosystem to deliver content to connected customers around the world,” advised Marcus Bergström, Director of UDN Program and Strategy at Ericsson. “With many millennials opting for skinny bundles or free short-form content online through social media, there is an opportunity to use our network to add value, and to monetise the content that clearly appeals to this hard-to-reach market segment. QYOU’s best-of-web content will provide our partner and customers with a ready means to attract and retain younger subscribers.”
“More and more TV providers are recognising the need to match millennial tastes with millennial programming,” noted Curt Marvis CEO and Co-Founder of QYOU Media. “We strongly believe that digital-first content, expertly curated and packaged, has a home on television’s multiscreen landscape. Hot on the heels of our expanded distribution into 17 million homes with TATA Sky in India, comes this deal that has the potential to deliver QYOU to hundreds of millions of subscribers globally. Partnering with Ericsson, one of the leading companies in the content-delivery industry and as part of a broader ecosystem that now encompasses 55 content providers and 40 service providers around the world, is another step to bringing web-first content to a wider audience, and showcasing its monetization potential.”