truTV Case Study
Customer’s Goals
truTV, formerly CourtTV, is a broadband and television destination for dramatic, real-life stories of action-packed original series such as Most Shocking, The Smoking Gun Presents, and Forensic Files. The channel first started working with thePlatform a few years ago. They selected our system for managing their media because it supported trouble-free ways to attach metadata to their video clips and host the clips so they could easily switch from one CDN to another. thePlatform also helped set up a user registration system that was fully integrated with their content management system to support a subscription-based broadband service.
In early 2008, the company re-branded the network to attract a growing audience of viewers more interested in real-life programming. truTV had eight new shows that required a broadband video player, and they needed to switch from their subscription-based business model to a free content model.
The Challenges
truTV wanted to continue managing their video in a way they were familiar with—media upload and player publishing would have to be easy in order to keep up with the volume of new programming. They needed to drop the subscription model and simply publish to the correct channel.
New branding and programming meant the new channels each needed their own look and brand. The players had to allow the audience to search and view the most popular videos. In addition, truTV wanted their viewers to be able to share videos and submit them to sites like digg and del.icio.us. And they had to make their programming and branding changes quickly, so couldn’t spend a lot of time on design.
thePlatform’s Solution
To drop the subscription model, truTV didn’t have to do anything other than disable the licenses they had in place. They continued to use the centralized media publishing system (mps) web-based console to manage media, categories, releases, and feeds.
truTV uses the Feeds Service to publish to showcase players that provide fresh content across the site. Each channel’s player subscribes to a feed, which is simply a set of media from truTV’s mps account. Feeds are highly optimized to allow access by many viewers at once. truTV likes the fact that feeds are dynamic—once the criteria for a feed are established, they don’t have to continually manage the feed.
To get a custom look for each channel’s player, truTV used our mpsPresent Player Development Kit (PDK) and enlisted the help of our technology partner Cypress Consulting. They added features from our Community Toolkit to encourage their audience to share videos.
Benefits and Results
Using thePlatform’s services, truTV can upload their media once and publish it to multiple channels, which makes it easy when you’re publishing 30 to 40 videos a day to keep the content fresh. Each show has its own microsite, which is unmistakably truTV, but with a player skin unique to each player.
Our customers’ requirements are always changing, as success in broadband video requires businesses to adapt. “The needs that we’ve had have been very much accommodated by thePlatform over the years,” says Andy Brooks, Director, Online Video at truTV. We’re pleased to provide truTV with flexible services that help them incorporate new business models and increase their ability to get their unique video to a larger audience.
