thePlatform Chosen by Gannett for Online Video Syndication & Management
Seattle, November 27, 2007
thePlatform, a leading "white-label" broadband video publishing company, today announced it has been selected by Gannett as the back-end management system for publishing online video to Gannett's diverse holdings of Web site destinations, including USATODAY.com and more than 150 newspapers, television and niche Web properties around the world. As part of the comprehensive agreement, thePlatform will not only play the central aggregation role for Gannett's web video assets, but will also serve as the central distribution hub to syndicate video content among Gannett's numerous destination Web sites. Syndicating content to third-party outlets also will be far faster and easier.
"Video is a popular part of all of Gannett's Web sites, and delivering increasingly strong quality content is of the utmost importance to us as we expand and enhance our video offerings throughout our Web sites and across our digital properties," said Jack Williams, president of Gannett Digital. "We needed a centralized, scaleable, and easy-to-use video management system as we expand our offerings and tie our sites together into a cohesive network. thePlatform has a long history with initiatives of this magnitude, and we look forward to working with them to deliver ever more compelling multimedia experiences to our audiences."
"As one of the world's preeminent online publishers, Gannett is at the forefront of connecting millions of consumers to information every day," said Ian Blaine, CEO, thePlatform. "We're proud to play such a central role with Gannett and to provide them with an efficient and cost-effective means to publish and share video across their newspapers and TV stations' websites."
In addition to Gannett, thePlatform currently provides online video publishing and management for a host of well known consumer brands, including: BBC, CNBC, CBS' College Sports TV, Court TV, Comcast, Hearst, Helio, HIT Entertainment, PBS Kids, PRIMEDIA, Scripps, Sony/BMG Music, Vongo, Telstra, Verizon Wireless and dozens of other companies.
thePlatform manages the entire logistics process that governs the publication of broadband video from the content owner to the consumer. thePlatform's open system integrates with technology providers that span the entire online video ecosystem, giving media companies the maximum flexibility to design solutions unique to their needs. Customers of thePlatform benefit from a choice of pre-integrated partner technologies, including advertising campaign management and billing systems, content delivery networks (CDNs), digital rights management (DRM), video formats, video player technologies and more. For Gannett specifically, thePlatforms' back-end management and syndication system will work in conjunction with players and advertising solutions delivered by Maven Networks.
About Gannett Co., Inc.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom's second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles, including 18 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
Press Contacts:
Jeremy Pemble, JLM Partners for thePlatform, jeremy@jlmpartners.com, 206-381-3600
Stacy Oaksmith, JLM Partners for thePlatform, stacy@jlmpartners.com, 206-381-3600