TORONTO, DUBLIN and LOS ANGELES – Canadian media company QYou Media has struck a distribution agreement with Ericsson to bring its curated online video content to the Ericsson Unified Delivery Network (UDN) ecosystem.
Ericsson will deliver QYou content over UDN to existing customers, while also introducing QYou's millennial-focused programming to Ericsson's service provider customer base, reads the news release. The ad-supported content distribution model is designed to create new monetization opportunities for QYou, Ericsson and service providers.
In addition to delivering QYou's content via UDN, Ericsson will also distribute The QYou app on connected TVs and set-top boxes through its distribution partnerships, bringing QYou's content to tens of millions of consumers with the app featured on device homepages. There will also be provision for QYou to add localized content to new connected devices and new markets.
“More and more TV providers are recognizing the need to match millennial tastes with millennial programming. We strongly believe that digital-first content, expertly curated and packaged, has a home on television's multiscreen landscape”, said QYou CEO and co-founder Curt Marvis, in the release. “Partnering with Ericsson, one of the leading companies in the content-delivery industry and as part of a broader ecosystem that now encompasses 55 content providers and 40 service providers around the world, is another step to bringing web-first content to a wider audience, and showcasing its monetization potential."
Established in 2016 as an alternative to traditional content delivery network business models, Ericsson said that the UDN ecosystem helps service providers, content providers and IPTV providers worldwide to offer optimized delivery of over-the-top services and high-quality video content.
"Many of the world's largest service providers and content providers use our UDN ecosystem to deliver content to connected customers around the world”, added Marcus Bergström, director of UDN program and strategy at Ericsson. “With many millennials opting for skinny bundles or free short-form content online through social media, there is an opportunity to use our network to add value, and to monetize the content that clearly appeals to this hard-to-reach market segment. QYou's best-of-web content will provide our partner and customers with a ready means to attract and retain younger subscribers."
Founded and created by industry veterans from Lionsgate, MTV, and NewsCorp, QYou Media's millennial-focused products including linear television networks, genre-based series, mobile apps, and video-on-demand formats reach tens of millions of customers on six continents through distribution partners such as Sinclair Broadcast Group, Vodafone, 21st Century Fox, Liberty Global, Telenor and TATA Sky.
