Blinkx Announces Key Partnerships

Video search engine Blinkx has announced a partnership with Publicis subsidiary Denuo, which will look at ways of improving online video advertising, and content partnerships with BBC iPlayer, CBS and the Weather Channel.

The partnership with Denuo will see collaboration on projects aimed at understanding how online video advertising can become more effective and better targeted to the correct audience and demographic.

The BBC deal will allow users to search and access BBC iPlayer programmes via blinkx.com, with a preview offered to users prior to viewing on the iPlayer download or live streaming service.

The BBC recently revealed that up to 500,000 programmes are downloaded or streamed from the BBC’s iPlayer every day, while over 17 million have been streamed or downloaded on-demand in the application’s first seven weeks (see Over 17m Shows Downloaded On iPlayer This Year).

As part of its deal with CBS, Blinkx has access to both archive and new shows, as well as interviews and outtakes.

Tim Hanlon, Denuo executive vice president, said: “The explosion of online video presents a new paradigm for advertisers with unique challenges and tremendous opportunities.

“With it comes an even greater technical challenge for connecting with audiences in ways that are contextually relevant and respectfully delivered – which is why we are excited to partner with blinkx.”

Ashley Highfield, BBC director of future media and technology, said: “The BBC’s remit is to make its content as widely available as possible to everyone in the UK.

“We are therefore committed to reaching out to audiences’ wherever they are and on whatever platforms they chose to access our services.”

Blinkx, which claims to have indexed more than 18 million hours of audio, video, viral and TV content, is set to launch its own broadband TV offering later this year.

A recent forecast from Screen Digest predicted that revenues for free to view web services will reach £98 million by 2012 as commercial services pick up market share (see BBC iPlayer To Aid Web TV Growth).

The report said that over 1.5 billion television shows and specialist programmes will be downloaded or streamed in the UK this year, with the BBC’s iPlayer expected to be a driving force of this increase.

Blinkx: www.blinkx.com