Bandai 1 of 20 Content Providers in Nico, TMNG Joint Project
Posted on November 11th, 2008 by calaggie in News, WebsitesI received my first legitimate press release in the site’s inbox this evening and it did not seem exciting at first. It was sent by the The New Media Group and announced a collaborative content-sharing service to launch this December with Nico Nico Douga where Nico users will be able to view content from 20 “official providers” including as TNMG’s IPTV platform World On-Demand, MTV Japan, Avex, Bandai, and Livedoor. Wait, Bandai?!?
Yes, the anime and tokusatsu producer-slash-distributor is listed as one of many partners involved in this project (unclear if it is specifically Bandai Visual, Sunrise or both) so I have a little excuse to write about this. Frankly, there aren’t many juicy details except that Nico reportedly has 9.3 million Japanese (and secret foreign?) subscribers and commands either 2.3 or 2.9 million daily unique users, depending on whom from TNMG is trying to impress people. Simon Godden, President of e-learning service Teacher Tom Japan, thinks “this [deal] is a home run” so it must be great, right? Um, it guess it would be nice if you wanted to leave streams of comments on top of official music videos and foreign content as well as the swath of Touhou, IM@S, and Miku MADs that currently inhabit the site.
At any rate, you can read the entire release after the jump to get a few more optimistic quotes from executives focused on expanding the global reach of their managed brands.
Japan`s Leading Interactive Video Platform, Nico Nico Douga, collaborates with World On-Demand to Develop an Innovative New Media Offering
11/11/2008 — TOKYO, Japan: The New Media Group, K.K. (TNMG) parent of the World On-Demand IPTV platform, today announced the signing of a landmark deal that aligns its increasing portfolio of global content offering with Nico Nico Douga`s broad reach into the domestic Japanese market.
Nico Nico Douga, Japan’s leading online video community site, currently holds 9.3 million Japanese subscribers, drives 2.3 million unique users a day, and has already passed YouTube in Japan to become one of the most visited sites in the Japanese web space. World On-Demand is the leading IPTV provider of alternative global content in Japan, carries over 130 Television channels from around the world including E! Entertainment, the BBC, Star TV, GMA, and Zee TV, and is geared primarily to serve the TV needs of foreign populations in Japan.
“It seems an unlikely match, but both sides see tremendous potential here,” said Randy McGraw, President of TNMG. “Both of us are convinced that the Japanese domestic market is starving for more high brand and high production value content from around the world, much of it never having had any distribution here. This is just a first step to get it all in play. World On-Demand has been selected as one of only 20 “Official Providers” precisely because we are “a taste of everything else” for mass market consumers and because we are carving out this position in Japan and East Asia for the long run for ourselves. Japan is a tough place to gain a foothold if you`re a foreign provider, but our company is a gateway now for big brands like Eurosport, Sky News, Aag, B4U Music, GMA, Zee TV, Trace TV, the Australia Network, VIVA, Taj Sports, Moonscoop, and a growing list of quality brands to come here and find a home.”
The new service that the two partners will launch in December will allow Japanese consumers with a Nico Nico Douga account to be exposed to and enjoy selections of branded content geared to their hobbies and interests, as well as the invitation to subscribe to the full array of content through the World On-Demand service.
“This collaboration aims to provide a simple way for 2.9 million unique daily Japanese users to watch promotional material and share information – in Japanese language and from a Japanese cultural perspective – and to form community and discuss both big brand international channels and lesser known special interest content in a way not seen in Japan before,” said Kei Yamada, from the TNMG Marketing Department and manager of the Nico- Nico Douoga relationship. “It will be a good vehicle for brand building, market access, and “instant market research” plus enjoyable for us Japanese more interested than ever before in new global content.”
“I think this is a home run,” said Simon Godden, President of Teacher Tom Japan, an innovative e-learning platform that is also partnered with World On-Demand to deliver English language learning modules to Japanese subscribers. “Promoting great foreign brands and great e-learning content and reaching millions of Japanese users on a daily basis, is going to encourage Japanese users to come to the World On-demand platform, have a look around, and find things like Teacher Tom e-learning that interests them, and subscribe.”
Joining 19 other official providers on the Nico Nico Douga platform such as MTV Japan, Avex, Bandai and Livedoor, World On-Demand is uniquely positioned as the alternative content provider to the Japanese mass-market, and will continue to expand its role linking providers to video based communities in Japan.
About The New Media Group, K.K. – TNMG is the leading digital media platform developer and operator in the Asia Pacific and Oceana regions. Partnered with the world’s leading media and technology companies, TNMG owns and operates World On-Demand (the region’s most comprehensive IPTV platform) and MY-World Communities (a leading portal for the advanced formation and management of online communities and their personal media). TNMG also owns Media PayÔ, an electronic payments gateway for East Asia and Australia that utilizes every electronic wallet and conventional payment method available in those markets from minor branded affinity cards to cash collection at over 45,000 distribution points. Founded by executives in the media, technology, and financial communities, TNMG is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and maintains network operations facilities in Japan, Australia, and the U.S., branch offices in Sydney, Australia and Shanghai, China, and a development center in Chennai, India. The team at TNMG invites everyone to visit www.TheNewMediaGroup.net to learn more about what the company is doing. We accept communication in Japanese, English, Mandarin, French, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil, and Urdu.
Entries (RSS)