NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has announced it has purchased Powr.tv, a direct-to-consumer video publishing platform provider.

Financial details were not disclosed. But Virgo Investment Group, which is an investor in Bitcentral,  provided additional funding for the deal, the company said.

Bitcentral’s Streaming Media Group will integrate its FUEL platform with Powr.tv to offer a unified workflow that simplifies video management, streaming and distribution, the company said.

The combination of products enables deployment of a turnkey, premium OTT application, dynamic playlist support for VOD, live and linear content as well as support for ad-supported video on demand (AVOD), subscription video on demand (SVOD) and transactional video on demand (TVOD). 

The integrated product offering also will include AI-based content and metadata ingest, comprehensive distribution and syndication capabilities and dynamic, rules-based automation.

“Media and Entertainment companies need a streaming platform that is flexible enough to support any business model, … easy to deploy, manage and maintain, and at the same time enable unique functionality for building and nurturing thriving content communities,” said Bitcentral CEO Steve Petilli.

The Powr.tv OTT publishing platform has been installed more than 10 million times worldwide with white label apps for mobile and connected televisions. With a portfolio of more than 200 apps, the company has enabled its customers to reach audiences across app stores, such as those of Apple, Google, Roku and Amazon.

Among its customers are BlazeTV, BroadwayOnDemand, Nosey and Studio71, Bitcentral said.

Video publishers currently must assemble a stack of technology solutions ranging from a content management system to a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) vendor and a CTV application vendor, said Greg Morrow, general manager of Bitcentral’s Streaming Media Group.

However, the combined FUEL-Powr.tv solution simplifies this hurdle. 

“FUEL has really focused in on the live stream management, linear management—the syndication of files and a linear feed out of the platform,” he said. “What Powr.tv has done is build a best-of-breed application suite that has rally differentiated monetization capabilities.”

“If we pair that with our technologies, we really provide a suite for the publisher at a really cost-effective price.”

Powr.tv will maintain its headquarters in Austin, Texas, as well as its technical team. Akshay Arvapally, president of Power.tv will remain with the combined company and report to Morrow. 

Integration of the products has begun, and Bitcentral intends to have the first phase of the project done in time to talk about during the NAB Show in April, said Petilli.

Despite having less than three months till the show, Arvapally is optimistic as well.

“Powr.tv kind of prides itself in going to market quick in terms of spinning up applications,” he said. “We’re going to continue this even through this phased integration approach.” 

More information is available on the Bitcentral website.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral’s FUEL online video platform is being used by Cowles Broadcasting for Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) on the NewsOn service. This is meant to expand Cowles distribution of local news content and to create monetization opportunities for stations with necessary ad cue points.

FUEL offers automation, encoding and distribution solutions, and has recently added support for server-side ad trigger technology. With ad triggers, applications or distribution platforms can include advertising cue points (SCTE-35), allowing ads to be inserted downstream by a third-party DAI vendor.

Cowles uses FUEL’s Linear on Demand (LOD) and Non-Stop Live (NSL) streaming solutions to create dynamic linear channels from a combination of VOD assets and live newscasts. FUEL automatically replaces Cowles’ on-air ads with digital ones.

“We’re delighted to be adding Cowles Broadcasting to our growing roster of local news providers,” said Ron Stitt, VP and General Manager at NewsON. “The ability to open up advertising opportunities is a critical factor in online distribution agreements today, and FUEL is providing the basis for new ad revenues no matter what device the viewer is using.”

Cowles Broadcasting channels are now available on NewsOn, the free, ad-funded streaming service available on connected TV platforms.

TALLAHASSE, Fla.—As we established the foundational tools for Black News Channel (BNC), it was critical for our team to find a solution tailored to our workforce to effectively manage the workload and overall workflow of this new network. Over the years, I came to understand that many have not figured out how to properly monetize their websites and create a stable income through their content. As such, I aspired to do something different than our colleagues and competitors in the market to ensure profitability and operational success.

Since we are launching as a new network we have the advantage of exploring new products, rather than rely on legacy workflow management tools implemented years ago. We could set the pace to identify tools made to maximize our workflow and lead to a better end product with every broadcast we produced, whether on cable, online or OTT. We needed a simple, functional and executable process that met our ultimate goal as a business of driving revenue. Why complicate matters with a workflow that doesn’t make sense for the business model?

FINDING FUEL

We settled on Bitcentral’s FUEL, a digital streaming and monetization platform that would provide an incredible experience to our viewers while also generating revenue.

We already planned to use Bitcentral’s Core News for live news production and Central Control for master control. FUEL stood out as a newer product, having launched in August 2018, with options to streamline our digital operations. FUEL would give us access to a seamless interface and integration from creation to execution to implementation, with a continuous flow from Central Control to digital.

A BETTER EXPERIENCE

FUEL enhances content on digital platforms—for us this includes our website, social media channels and other OTT platforms. FUEL allows us to create something different, with a plan to direct people to our website for content, dictating how we would execute and pursue our commercial content structure.

FUEL advances exposure through OTT and other digital platforms from day one. The integration of FUEL with other traditional workflow management products gives the flexibility and opportunity to reach extra eyeballs on multiple platforms. Instead of a limited audience or a particular type of viewer, our reach extends to different technologies, apps and devices.

We access the same playing field as some of the more established networks out there and are competitive as a result.

FUEL has proven to be a big success. After implementing the platform, hours viewed, session length and ad impressions all increased significantly. Viewers access content in a seamless stream, with the ability to start watching whenever and wherever, controlling the content they’re watching with ease. Our producers and master control operators have complete control, and the ability to deploy content and ad inventory quickly and simply.

In my role at BNC, I consider myself a risk manager, minimizing our financial risks while maximizing operations and workflow. It’s critical to understand what functions well and what fits the business model. FUEL isn’t rocket science; it makes complete sense. FUEL is foundational to our success as we create an ecosystem and technical environment to maintain growth and flexibility, and prepare for the future.

Kenny Elcock is the director of engineering & operations for Black News Channel (BNC), the nation’s only African American news network dedicated to covering the unique perspective of African American communities. In his role, Elcock designs and integrates network systems to deliver quality programming and enhance viewer experience. Learn more atwww.blacknewschannel.com.

For more information, visitwww.bitcentral.com/fuel.

BURLINGAME, Calif.—Virgo Investment Group is hopping on board with Bitcentral, as it has announced it has made an investment of $10 million to the provider of broadcast news production and distribution technology. Specifically, the investment will reportedly support the development of Bitcentral’s Fuel streaming system.

Fuel is a production, streaming and monetization platform for creating engaging and personalized viewing experiences for digital audiences. The platform delivers curated content and advertising across digital platforms, including OTT, mobile and online.

“We believe the Fuel platform will create large new market opportunities and significant growth for Bitcentral customers,” said Rick Ray, co-founder of Raycom Inc. and operating partner at Virgo Investment Group. “Fuel provides broadcasters and other content owners with the right tools and the right analytics to better monetize their content across all platforms.”