Most OTT companies have a decidedly technology focus. They spend all their time thinking about what the latest and greatest technologies are, how to get content to every screen, and how to solve all the technology problems. Even companies such as MobiTV, that once made content licensing a significant part of their business (both through their branded MobiTV service as well as on behalf of some of their mobile operator customers) has taken a step back and is looking at their platform as a technology license.
Digidev, a new company led by Martin Greenwald, who led Image Entertainment (which brought independent DVDs to market), and Joe Q. Bretz (a film producer with a strong technology background) is taking the opposite approach: First meet the needs of content owners, and then worry about the technology. Digidev, with its strong Hollywood connections, is teaming up with independent libraries (often between 500 – 2000 hours of content) to create individually branded channels based on the library title. Digidev will ingest the content from any source (with its in house post-production house), and own publication of content worldwide across all OTT platforms. Licensing agreements vary depending on who owns the production costs, but digidev’s distribution fees range from 50% on up.
