In a cross-continental play, In Demand has struck a content and distribution deal with Chinese media concern Seven Stars Media.
Under the agreement, In Demand will provide content services – initially encompassing sports, music and lifestyle fare from the travel, home and garden and parenting categories -- to Seven Stars. The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, will expand over time to include an array of niche channels.
In Demand will license, process and deliver content to Seven Stars, which plans to distribute the fare via branded blocks through cable operators reaching 80 million households in China. Moreover, the video-on-demand and pay-per-view purveyor will make content available to over-the-top and IPTV providers and portals to reach that nation’s 500 million web users.
Stateside, In Demand will proffer Chinese-language movies to U.S. cable systems through its digital and set-top VOD platforms. Chinese-Americans represent this country’s largest Asian-American population with over 4 million.
The parties say the first programming distribution is slated to take place later this year.
“The marketplace in China for cable programming holds tremendous promise,” said In Demand president and CEO Bob Benya in a statement. “With nearly 200 million cable TV households - of which 70 million are expected to be VOD-enabled within two years - we are laying the groundwork to provide a range of entertainment to China’s growing TV viewer base. We are thrilled to be embarking on our international expansion with Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars, one of the most entrepreneurial and innovative media entities in China.”
Noted Seven Stars chairman Bruno Wu: “In Demand has an impressive and long-standing record as the best in the business of content aggregation and preparation. They have the relationships, industry knowledge, creativity and technical proficiency to help us grow our entertainment offerings to Chinese viewers.”
