Wednesday, June 28, 2006

VIDEO DISTRIBUTION://Comcast buys thePlatform

Comcast has bought thePlatform, as paidContent.org reports. Not a small one, presumably $80-100m. Back in February the ITVT blog had a worthwile interview with thePlatform CEO Ian Blaine.

Customers include Starz, Verizon Wirless, Amp'd Mobile, MSN, CNBC, ABC News, Court TV, National Geographic, Scripps and of course Comcast. ThePlatform powers video distribution over wireless, broadband or IP STBs. It is much like Brightcove, but that company also inserts ads.

It seems like a pretty striking deal. Comcast will not only enable its own content (which is limited) but also third party content to be distributed to various platforms. It looks like Comcast is extending its reach beyond its cable plant. Also, the upcoming alliance with Sprint Nextel (and TWC, Cox, Advance/Newhouse) can benefit from this technology.

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