iptv news_news 29/08/2014 16:53 Page 4
Lionsgate, Alibaba
partner for China OTT
lobal entertainment company
Lionsgate and China’s Alibaba
have joined forces to launch
Lionsgate Entertainment World
(LGEW), a subscription streaming
service for mainland China that will be
available exclusively through Alibaba’s
latest generation of set-top box.
G
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with
Lionsgate to offer this new content streaming
service and deliver high quality, entertaining
and relevant TV shows and movies to our
users,” said Patrick Liu, president of Alibaba
Group’s digital entertainment business unit.
“We are committed to expanding our
ecosystem where our users can meet, work
The Lionsgate Entertainment World
(LGEW) service will provide users of the
Alibaba platform with instant access to such
Hollywood
blockbusters as the
first instalment of
the Divergent
franchise, as well as
titles from the
Twilight Saga
franchise.
“We’re pleased to collaborate with Alibaba,
a world-class brand that is well known and
respected among consumers throughout
China,” said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer
Jon Feltheimer. “Alibaba is the kind of
entrepreneurial company with whom we like
to be in business, and the launch of our
streaming service in China underscores our
commitment to innovation and leadership in
delivering premium content to digital
platforms around the world.”
and live, and this cooperation signals our
ongoing commitment to advance our vision of
making digital media entertainment available
to our customers
anywhere, anytime.”
In addition to
providing Alibaba’s
consumers with a
broad and deep
Lionsgate portfolio of
curated hit film and TV content at launch, the
new service will enable Alibaba subscribers to
enjoy exclusive behind-the-scenes footage,
features and other premium content not
available anywhere else in China along with
access to VIP membership benefits such as
screening invitations and special merchandise.
The collaboration gives Lionsgate increased
access to the vast mainland Chinese market,
one of the largest and fastest-growing
territories in the world for film and TV
content.
The Lionsgate Entertainment World
service will stream in high quality resolution
(up to full HD) and will offer content
recommendations to Chinese viewers based on
extensive curation and state-of-the-art
technology.
“Alibaba is the kind of
entrepreneurial company
with whom we like to be
in business.”
8 IP television
DTG next-gen FTA
spec for Freeview
Connected
TG members are
beginning work on the
evolution of the technical
specification for digital terrestrial
television (D-Book 8) to introduce
support for Freeview Connected
and much more, with Working
Group
meetings
scheduled
to begin
after the
summer
break.
Simon
Gauntlett,
the DTG’s
CTO, has
circulated a
plan of activity to the relevant expert
Working Groups which includes the
following work areas:
1. reviewing the current logical
channel number (LCN) swapping
and regional handling behaviour;
2. preparations to smooth the
potential 700 MHz clearance
transition;
3. a profile for tablet DTT receivers;
4. the potential for a UHD-1 Phase 1
profile;
5. support for the HbbTV profile for
Freeview.
The fifth area listed has now become
possible thanks to support from HbbTV
allowing DTG Working Groups to
discuss the draft HbbTV v2.0
specification and an agreement from
Digital UK to discuss the Freeview
Connected Technical Requirements
Specification.
This new activity sits alongside
current work at the DTG, which
includes the UK UHD Forum, the
Mobile Video Alliance, the Dynamic
Spectrum Access Forum, Multicast and
Home Networking activity and ongoing
Accessibility work. According to
Gauntlett, there is a huge amount of
industry activity at the moment, across
a wide range of TV and related
technologies, pr