Complete Coverage: Cable Show 2013
In Demand has inked a wide-ranging bi-lateral agreement with Bruno Wu's Seven Stars Media Limited, a leading Chinese media company that will help In Demand expand into China and at the same time bring Chinese content from Seven Stars to U.S. operators.
The agreement marks a significant international expansion for In Demand.
As part of the deal, In Demand will license, process and deliver content to Seven Stars, which plans to distribute via branded blocks on cable through MSOs in China reaching some 80 million households.
It will also provide the content to over-the-top and IPTV operators and web portals to reach China's 500 million web users.
The first programming is expected to begin distribution later in 2013.
Initially, the content is expected to feature the sports, music programming and lifestyle genres, covering such areas as travel, home and garden and parenting. Over time, the relationship is expected to be expanded to the provision of a broad variety of niche channels.
At the same time, In Demand will provide Chinese language on demand movies to cable systems in the U.S. through its digital and set-top VOD platforms.
"The marketplace in China for cable programming holds tremendous promise," said Bob Benya, president and CEO of In Demand, 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," he added.
