Best of British heads for US with Viewster, FremantleMedia
October 9, 2013
Colin Mann @ MIPCOM
Video-on-demand service Viewster has added a slate of new original programming for its viewers in the US via a content licensing agreement with international distributor FremantleMedia. Viewster’s American audience will now have access to over 110 hours from six different BBC series – including popular and acclaimed shows such as Merlin, That Mitchell and Webb Look, and Pulling – as well as Australian series Satisfaction.
“We’ve found that television series are increasingly becoming our most popular offering,” said Kai Henniges, CEO of Viewster. “This is especially true of series from across the globe that aren’t as easily accessible free and on demand. Our acquisition of content from FremantleMedia bolsters our library significantly.”
“FremantleMedia has a well-deserved reputation for the breadth and depth of its catalogue and this makes us a great partner for Viewster,“ said Jeff Siegel, Vice President Digital Distribution – US, FremantleMedia. “This agreement will ensure that Viewster’s audiences will get to enjoy a number of hit TV shows that have delighted audiences around the world.”
“The American on-demand viewer has an insatiable appetite for British series, and the content now available to us from FremantleMedia will help us satisfy that segment of our audience, while also hopefully helping to build it,” added Henniges.
Viewster is quickly becoming one of the most popular and content-rich ad-supported video-on-demand portals. The company has significantly ramped up its content acquisitions in the last year through a number of licensing agreements. The video-on-demand portal now has over 5000 titles and is consistently among the top 50 US destinations for online video in the US, according to ComScore.