Online Video Comes of Age
News Interactive Partners With ROO to Launch Premium Online Video Content
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/14/05 -- News.com.au is launching Australia's most comprehensive online video product with news, movies, music, entertainment and games, free and on demand.
In partnership with ROO, (OTC BB: RGRP) a leading international online broadcast network, www.NEWS.com.au can offer the latest in breaking news, celebrity gossip, fashion shows, movie trailers, music videos and sports clips.
Content will be sourced from Sky News and over 5000 videos provided daily by ROO from a variety of sources worldwide.
Consumers have the choice of four main channels -- news, entertainment, games & "The Other Side" -- showing human interest and weird and wacky news stories. Within each channel there are a variety of sub-channels such as national news, science and technology news, business news, and world news. The service incorporates a search function to help users find the information they want.
"The popularity of online video is growing and News Interactive is working to provide users with the choice of cutting edge video content they want online, when they want it," said News Interactive managing director, Nic Jones.
"The partnership with ROO allows us to provide a top online video offering with high quality video presentation and unmatched content volume. This gives us enormous potential to expand our audience and provide exciting new opportunities for advertisers."
ROO is an online broadcast network and a leading global provider of digital media solutions and technology that enable the activation, marketing and distribution of video content over the Internet with operations in the USA, Australia and Europe.
"Our service will have a higher volume of professionally produced local and international content than anything that is currently available in Australia," said Mr Jones. "By mixing local content with ROO's international expertise in entertainment, games and celebrity interviews we will be providing consumers with unrivalled diversity across many genres."
The service will incorporate a new, high quality video player which will ensure superior presentation and allow users to expand the video clip to full-screen.
"The technological platform is state-of-the-art and we are able to manage all of the content on the site internally. Market research has shown that consumers are engaging with new content delivery methods at an incredible pace and for these reasons we expect consumer uptake to be tremendous," said Mr Jones.
Successful online video will provide News Interactive with additional opportunities for advertisers with 15-30 second TV-style advertising clips integrated before and after topical video clips and ads featured on main pages and with banner pop-ups.
"Advertisers are rethinking their consumer marketing strategies in the face of personalised, evolving media. Online video advertising will provide them with a new way to engage consumers," said Nic Jones.
Robert Petty, CEO of ROO, said, "We are delighted to be working with News Interactive to develop their online video offerings. This is an important step in the evolution of Internet video adoption in Australia and we expect to see similar positive trends from consumers and advertisers as we have experienced in the US."
About ROO
ROO Group Inc. (OTC BB: RGRP) ("ROO") is a global provider of online video broadcasting solutions that enables the activation, marketing and distribution of video content over the Internet and emerging broadcasting platforms such as set top boxes and wireless. ROO www.roo.com offers turn-key video solutions for businesses seeking to improve their web presence with video broadcasts or broadcast their own latest video clips. ROO helps business advertise their latest offering with interactive advertising solutions, 15-30 second video commercials with a linked call to action and played simultaneously with topical video content such as news and entertainment in a television style format over the Internet.
About News Interactive
News Interactive is one of Australia's most successful online publishers and the digital arm of News Limited, Australia's largest media company which is a News Corporation company (NYSE: NWS), (NYSE: NWS-A); (ASX: NWS), (NWSLV). It provides advertisers with opportunities to promote their brands and services across some of the country's leading websites and well known brands: NEWS.com.au, careerone.com.au, carsguide.com.au, australianit.com.au, FOXSPORTS.com.au and realestate.com.au. News Interactive also operates websites for News Limited's major metropolitan newspapers, including The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail, Herald Sun and The Advertiser. For more information, see http://www.advertising.ni.com.au
