CHUM tags mobile VOD for growth – new content launching Q1 ’06

Madonna Live at the KOKO was an extravaganza seen around the world last Tuesday night. Here in Canada, many viewers watched MuchMusic's live streaming of the concert via their cell phones. The pay-per-view event ran about one hour and, for fans that missed it, is now available for on-demand viewing until April to those with MobiTV compatible cell phones (muchmusic.com/connect/madonna_live).

Maria Hale, VP content business development for CHUM Television, says CHUM applied for the Canadian mobile rights to the concert because it's one of the real growth areas in the company's three-pronged VOD strategy. There were no advertisers involved in the Madonna broadcast, but Hale says now that CHUM has this one under its belt, it will be easier to give marketers a clear idea of what to expect audience-wise once results are compiled. 'Advertisers are interested (in MobiTV),' says Hale, 'but they still want to know how many people it's reaching. (The Madonna broadcast) gives us experience and a benchmark so we can start talking realistically about what it all means. Some advertisers are interested in the buzz and being in the forefront, but a lot are just interested in the brass tacks - the reach, the number of impressions we're going to get from it.'
By Patti Summerfield
November 24, 2005

Madonna Live at the KOKO was an extravaganza seen around the world last Tuesday night. Here in Canada, many viewers watched MuchMusic’s live streaming of the concert via their cell phones. The pay-per-view event ran about one hour and, for fans that missed it, is now available for on-demand viewing until April to those with MobiTV compatible cell phones (muchmusic.com/connect/madonna_live).

Maria Hale, VP content business development for CHUM Television, says CHUM applied for the Canadian mobile rights to the concert because it’s one of the real growth areas in the company’s three-pronged VOD strategy. There were no advertisers involved in the Madonna broadcast, but Hale says now that CHUM has this one under its belt, it will be easier to give marketers a clear idea of what to expect audience-wise once results are compiled. ‘Advertisers are interested (in MobiTV),’ says Hale, ‘but they still want to know how many people it’s reaching. (The Madonna broadcast) gives us experience and a benchmark so we can start talking realistically about what it all means. Some advertisers are interested in the buzz and being in the forefront, but a lot are just interested in the brass tacks – the reach, the number of impressions we’re going to get from it.’

CHUM was one of the first casters to provide free TV VOD and online VOD content, and today muchmusic.com is the biggest content download site in Canada. Now CHUM is moving aggressively into the wireless space to provide VOD content to cell phones on a pay-per-view basis, and the new year will usher in phase two of CHUM’s cable VOD strategy as well as changes online. Hale says there will be deeper, more robust cable VOD content available to viewers either through bundling the extra content with cable packages, or as free standalone value-added content.

Because of digital broadband capabilities, CHUM’s online VOD offerings are also getting beefed up, and will involve not only music but news shows as well. The existing roster of video is being augmented with longer-form video content including full eps of CHUM-produced TV shows and full-play rather than clips of music videos. Interactive TV also has a feature role in the changes audiences will see on CHUM TV in 2006