OwnZones Media Network, a provider of VOD services for multiple platforms, is in position to extend a video bridge to MVPD set-top boxes and expand its international reach following a partnership with Metrological, a TV apps company with ties into operators such as Liberty Global and Comcast.
Under the agreement, OwnZones is a “preferred” provider for Metrological’s Application Platform, which brings apps and OTT content to operator devices and touts a footprint reach of more than 40 million homes and agreements with other providers that include KPN (the Netherlands), Tele Columbus (Germany) and Ooredoo (Qatar).
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The addition focus on MVPDs expands OwnZones’s reach on platforms such as Web browsers, Roku, Hulu, LeEco, and Amazon for a variety of SVOD services that include 10 Minute Meals with Aarti Sequiera ($1.99 per month), My Fight Gym ($4.99 per month), DOX: Top Documentaries ($2.99 per month), Warriors & Gangsters: Action Movies ($2.99 per month), and Horror Film Network ($2.99 per month).
Of recent note, OwnZones inked a deal to distribute The List from E.W. Scripps.
OwnZones, which also counts Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon, PlayStation Vue and T-Mobile among its network partners, was founded in 2010, with the idea of creating an OTT service/aggregation site with SVOD channels and offer them a la carte across multiple platforms.
Dan Goman, CEO of OwnZones Media Network, admits that the first few years were spent struggling to find and monetize content for OTT distribution.
“Being a pioneer sounds fun after the fact but not so much when you are the pioneer,” he said, noting that the platform the company developed removed complexity out of the equation for OTT distribution, and that eventually attracted content partners such as Magnolia Pictures that were trying to go online to engage more directly with their audiences.
Though much of the content supported by the company’s platform is for SVOD services, it also supports other business models, including transactional and ad-based offerings, Goman said.
The Metrological deal will help Beverly Hill-based OwnZones and its content partners expand and market internationally, he said.
“OWNZONES Media Network recognizes the opportunities that are available with international distribution of OTT content,” added Robert Cloudt, head of content management and strategy at Metrological, in a statement. “We are excited to team up with OWNZONES to bring even more great content to our operator partners globally.”
