BRIGHTON, England – Global Digital Broadcast (GDBTV) and Philips Electronics have formed a partnership to launch what the companies believe is the first television set with a fully integrated internet protocol television service.GDBTV is a technology supplier to the adult industry, so the service represents the opportunity for adult content producers to extend their reach to a potential market of more than 50 million homes across Europe, the company said in a prepared statement.
“Using GDBTV’s channel-management software, adult channels can be delivered to the whole range of Philips’ new television sets,” the statement noted. “This finally opens the door for adult shopping channels, which gives consumers the chance to purchase all kinds of adult novelties in the privacy of their own homes, directly from their television sets.
“In the converging media landscape, with numerous service and software providers competing for a piece of the broadcasting pie, many were so busy extolling the virtues of their all-singing, all-dancing ‘solutions’ they forgot to listen to the voice of the consumer,” GDBTV continued. “Now, with the partnership between GDBTV and ‘the people’s electronics company,’ that voice has been heard and the demand for a simplified, unified IPTV service has been met.”
The original deal, for GDBTV’s electronic program guide to be included on Philips’ Net TV integrated IPTV service, engendered expected sales of 50 million television sets in Europe alone. With the recent addition of GDBTV’s GoXXXTV adult offerings sweetens the pot for adult studios and product manufacturers. The adult channels require dual-PIN authentication for age verification in order to set regulators’ minds at ease.
Launching in September as an included service, GoXXXTV is set to get its own dedicated adult platform on the Philips’ service beginning in January.
Adult channels already available include Private Media (Spain), Harmony Films (UK), Seymore Butts (USA), Vivid Entertainment (international), DBA Supercore XXX (Germany), Sweet Pictures (the Netherlands), Belais Production APS (Denmark), TV Polari XXX (UK), PornXXX (UK) and Wrist Action (UK).
“While set-top box services remain popular, we have always known it would be an integrated TV service which would really launch IPTV into consumers’ homes,” GDBTV co-founder and Managing Director Jim Deans said. “We are happy we can also now extend this service to our adult clients.”
According to Private Media Group Vice President of Sales Tim Clausen said, “GDBTV is offering a very compelling new platform for consumers to access adult content. Private … looks forward to developing new sales strategies and revenue opportunities with this innovative new technology.”
Terry “One Eyed Jack” Stephens, director of Wrist Action TV, agreed.
“GDBTV has an impressive infrastructure with a broad range of active commercial interests,” he said. “There is also a lot of commercial investment in IPTV, and GDBTV is in the right place at the right time. This fills me with confidence that IPTV and our channel will do extremely well.”
One British company was created specifically to take advantage of GDBTV’s opportunities, according to the founders. Mike Wallace of Darker Enterprises and Mile Newcombe of MSS Interactive combined their efforts and established Bluetime Films in order to run the PornXXX channel.
“We decided to form this new company in order to get involved with the exciting prospects and technological advances which GDBTV offers,” Wallace said.
Newcomb added, “We have been wanting, for some time now, to supply UK consumers with hardcore content straight to their television sets. We are in a great position to fulfill their needs with quality British products and believe this really is the way of the future for hardcore television. It is what the consumer has been asking for all along. We are confident it will be a huge success.”
Lizeth Strange, who runs Scandinavian Adult and heads the Scandinavian territory IPTV aggregation for adult content, said she believes IPTV’s increasing adoption represents an increasing economic imperative for adult content producers around the globe.
“My first idea was to get quality Scandinavian porn out to a larger audience, and I believe that IPTV is not only the way to do this, but that IPTV is also the future of broadcast,” she explained. “GDBTV’s content-management system is perfect for my purpose, and my signing of big producers like BN-Agentur A/S and Bestseller just proves that my hunch was correct.”
According to the latest figures from Point Topic, released during the Broadband Forum in Paris and published by Broadband TV News, worldwide IPTV growth remains strong at 11 percent annually, currently reaching a total of 26.9 million homes. Europe continues to lead the first wave of IPTV uptake, with 13,631,074 subscribers (representing 51-percent growth between July 2008 and July 2009).
Furthermore, a new report from The Diffusion Group predicts the delivery of internet video to the TV will grow nearly six fold during the next five years, from $1 billion in 2009 to $5.7 billion by 2014. Authored by TDG senior partner and digital video expert, Colin Dixon, TDG’s “Broadband-Enabled TV: Rise of the OTT Provider” analysis claims the dramatic growth in diffusion of broadband-enabled TVs will drive the use of on-demand internet pay-per-view services.
“In consumers’ minds, the TV is an effortless relaxation,” a Philips spokesperson said. “They would very much like to also enjoy online services from the comfort of their sofa. TV is not a high-interaction device—like a PC with a keyboard and a mouse, where you have to sit up to use them—but more of a low-interaction device, with a simple remote control. The online-services concept is a great way to blend these two experiences in an open and standardized environment and create an enriched consumer experience.”
Philips’s Net TV feature is viewer-ready in the 8000 and 9000 series television sets, along with the Cinema 21:9 series. The service carries 120 channels from GDBTV’s electronic program guide.
