Five Launches Syndicated Player Initiative With Brightcove Online Video Platform

LONDON - First UK broadcaster to syndicate full episode, ad-supported online video content for catch-up viewing on third-party websites

Brightcove Inc., the leading online video platform, and UK broadcaster, Five, today announced the launch of a landmark initiative that will allow Five’s viewers to embed episodes of their favourite television shows on their websites, social networks and blogs. Five becomes the first UK broadcaster to syndicate full episodes of popular programmes for catch-up viewing on third-party websites. The initiative, which utilises the Brightcove platform, gives Five the ability to expand the distribution of long-form, ad-supported video content online and will also generate additional advertising income.

Partner websites and Five’s own online properties, such as Five.tv and FiveFWD, the cars and gadgets portal for young males, will be the first websites to benefit from the deal. The syndicated player initiative will be widely available later this year to third-party websites and to consumers who will be able to add embeddable video content to their own favourite places on the Web.

“Five’s syndicated player initiative significantly extends the reach of our online video programming in a way that is secure, high-quality, and generates additional advertising revenue,” said Paul Thornton-Jones, Five’s digital controller. “With Brightcove, Five has been able to launch the ambitious catch-up online video offering in a very short amount of time, despite the complex distribution and monetization requirements.”

The syndicated player initiative employs the full range of capabilities provided by the Brightcove online video platform including deep customization of player design and functionality, as well as integration with a broad set of advertising, content management and geo-location technologies. With the average length of video content reaching 45 minutes, Five will leverage multiple cue-point targeting to place in-stream advertising in long-form online video programming. Capable of reaching more than 98 percent of Internet users, the syndicated player initiative is built on the industry-standard Adobe Flash(R) format, which is the number one platform for video on the Web.

“Five continues to break new ground with innovative online video strategies,” said Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove chairman and chief executive officer. “We are very happy Five has chosen to build its syndicated player and audience network on the Brightcove platform, which represents an important industry first in the UK market.”

The syndicated player is the latest online video initiative to launch as part of a company-wide agreement that enables Five to use Brightcove to publish and distribute ad-supported video content across its online properties, including Five News with Natasha Kaplinsky, Milkshake!, and Australian soap opera, Neighbours.

About Brightcove

Brightcove is an online video platform. Media companies, businesses and organizations worldwide use Brightcove to publish and distribute video on the Web. Founded in 2004, Brightcove is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business with offices across North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.brightcove.com.

Source: Brightcove Inc.

Europe, Stephen Orr of AxiCom, +44-20-8392-4056, stephen.orr at axicom.com, for Brightcove; or North America, Erika Shaffer of SutherlandGold Group, +1-206-972-5514, erika at sutherlandgold.com, for Brightcove