2nd Aug 2010 07:00
2 August 2010 iPoint-media plc ("iPoint-media" or "the Company") Strategic Agreement with China Unicom for the joint marketing and sale of iPoint-media products into the Chinese media market
iPoint-media , a provider of live, interactive video applications and content delivery platforms for web and 3G mobile, announces that it has entered into a strategic agreement with China Unicom to sell iPoint-media's two new products, GOliveINTERVIEW and GOliveSTUDIO, bundled with China Unicom's network related products and services targeting the Chinese media sector.
China Unicom operates GSM and WCDMA services in 31 provinces in China and ranks as the second largest mobile operator in China.
Following on from the successful deployment of the GOliveINTERVIEW product by Beijing TV (BTV) for live viewer contributions during the recent football world cup, iPoint and China Unicom have identified the potential of these products within the large and growing Chinese media market. Working closely with iPoint-media, China Unicom plans to bundle the GOliveINTERVIEW and GOliveSTUDIO products with its network connectivity products, services and support and leverage its market presence as one of the world's leading mobile telecoms operators to create a compelling cost effective solution for the target market.
The Strategic Agreement establishes a co-operation model between the parties in relation to the development of this business encompassing sales and marketing, project development, implementation and after sales support. Under the agreement, iPoint-media will provide training to China Unicom's Enterprise Division sales teams serving each the 31 provincial subsidiaries. A joint marketing, sales and implementation team will target companies in the Chinese media sector involved in the provision of video based news and entertainment services. Using this platform, iPoint-media intends to penetrate this market aggressively.
GOliveINTERVIEW
GOliveINTERVIEW uses iPoint-media's video calling technology to establish a two-way communication channel for interviews. Such a two-way communications channel enables both interviewee and interviewer to conduct an interactive discussion similar to a face to face interview. GOliveInterview is currently the only product in the Chinese market which fully supports bidirectional communications over video using standard off the shelf hardware such as a laptop, a digital video camera and one or more WCDMA 3G data cards. This configuration can replace Satellite-News-Gathering vehicles in many circumstances at a fraction of the cost.
GOliveSTUDIO
GOliveSTUDIO uses iPoint-media video capture technology to integrate all major video sources into a single unified interface, enabling a streamlined video production operation with a reduced number of steps required to create video output. GOliveStudio can be used for content repurposing and reuse of the enormous resources and media available on the WEB in a single program.
GOliveInterview and GOliveStudio are a viable cost effective solution for more than 10,000 studios in China (TV broadcasters, WEBTV, MobileTV and Radio stations).
Muki Geller, iPoint-media CEO comments:
"The agreement with China Unicom represents a major milestone for iPoint-media. I believe iPoint-media has a new well positioned growth engine."
Marcus Xiang, iPoint-media's representative in Beijing comments:
"Customers in the Chinese market have been looking for solutions such as GOliveINTERVIEW and GOliveSTUDIO for quite some time. We are experiencing strong interest from potential customers who are considering a purchase. Signing with China Unicom is a significant step forward in our plans to penetrate Chinese media market"
Funding
As highlighted in the Company's announcement on the 13th July, 2010, iPoint-media is evaluating a number of funding options given the trading difficulties it has experienced in the recent past. Discussions with potential funders continue and further announcements will be made accordingly.
Further enquiries:iPoint-media plc +(0) 972 544 450 667 Muki Geller
Libertas Capital Corporate Finance Limited +44 20 7569 9650
Thilo Hoffmann/Andrew McLennan
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