Simplestream partners with Little Dot Studios to take award-winning documentaries channel multiscreen and global
Simplestream, leaders in live and on-demand OTT services, today announced that it was chosen by Little Dot Studios, a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning content producer and broadcaster, to build an international Video on Demand service for its Real Stories cha
London(19 Feb 2018)
Simplestream, leaders in live and on-demand OTT services, today announced that it was chosen by Little Dot Studios, a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning content producer and broadcaster, to build an international Video on Demand service for its Real Stories channel.
Launched originally as a YouTube channel, Real Stories has grown to include over 300 high quality licensed and original documentary titles – from true crime and human-interest stories through to hard-hitting current affairs – with over one million subscribers and 700,000 views per day. More recently, the channel has extended across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The new service will be subscription video on demand (SVoD) in all markets except the UK where it will be funded by advertising (AVoD). It will feature a mix of licensed content and original documentaries.
“It’s been fascinating to see how quickly the dynamics of video consumption have evolved in the two years since Real Stories was born – and there is such exciting opportunity to continue building the brand beyond our YouTube roots,” said Andy Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of Little Dot Studios. “Simplestream delivered a flexible, high quality, powerful platform for us with the opportunity to experiment with different commercial models – and further expand our features, content offering and audience reach.”
Developed with Simplestream’s VOD-in-a-Box platform, the Real Stories multi-platform service has launched on iOS mobile and tablet, Android mobile and tablet, and desktop worldwide. The service is due to be available on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV later this year.
“Little Dot’s hope from the beginning has been to extend this channel into an engaging, content-rich service that enables its viewers around the world to access their favourite programmes – and that’s exactly what they now have,” added Dan Finch, Chief Commercial Officer of Simplestream. “We’re incredibly proud to have designed, built and delivered this multiplatform service for Real Stories – and look forward to continue working together in the coming months on other Little Dot brands across the globe.”
The Real Stories SVoD launch will be followed by three additional services this year.
Unveiled at IBC 2017 and winner of an IBC Best of Show award from TVTechGlobal, VOD-in-a-Box is a future-proofed multiscreen, end-to-end white-label streaming solution that enables entertainment, sports, music and news providers to deploy next-generation VOD content and live streaming in as little as 6 weeks. It provides companies with the ability to quickly, easily and cost-effectively ‘test the market’ using existing video content, with low exposure to commercial risk and flexible commercial terms. The solution includes support for all OTT platforms, and a range of monetisation options, allowing any combination of subscriptions (SVoD), advertising (AVoD) and pay-per-view and other transactional models (TVoD). Flexible and cost-effective customer management, packaging and billing options are also fully supported.