Solutions
Media and Entertainment | September 14, 2023
Entertainment technology industry leader IMAX Corporation® (NYSE: IMAX) and PFT, the creator of AI-powered technology solutions for the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry, today announced plans to expand their strategic relationship beyond theatrical and into the streaming ecosystem.
Under the arrangement, IMAX will expand access to its Stream Smart™ technology to PFT customers across Europe, Asia, and Australia. The expanded partnership will dramatically increase the global availability of Stream Smart™, which helps streaming platforms deliver maximum picture quality while significantly reducing distribution and storage costs.
"We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with IMAX, an industry trailblazer with a remarkable legacy of revolutionizing the global entertainment industry," said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, Global CEO of PFT. "For over a decade, CLEAR®, our flagship product, has spearheaded digital packaging and delivery services for prominent streaming platforms worldwide. CLEAR® & Stream Smart will help optimize our customers' encoding pipeline, so they deliver better streaming quality while optimizing CDN & storage costs."
"Many of Hollywood's biggest streaming platforms use Stream Smart™ to ensure quality and reduce costs, and we're excited to work with our partners at PFT to extend the reach of our technologies throughout key markets in Europe, Asia, and Australia," said Vikram Arumilli, General Manager of Streaming and Consumer Technology at IMAX. "Our suite of streaming technology products, including Stream Smart™, provides a best-in-class service for direct-to-consumer broadcast and streaming companies, and PFT's' ability to leverage this for their customers is a win-win for both organizations."
PFT and its parent company, DNEG, are industry leaders providing a full suite of technology and creative solutions, including IMAX post-production and 3D mastering.
IMAX and DNEG joined forces in 2022 for post-production, which included Indian films like Jawan, Pathaan, and RRR. This extended partnership will build upon the established theatrical relationship between IMAX and DNEG to develop a comprehensive video optimization solution. Stream Smart™ is an enterprise software product designed to deliver the best image quality and optimize delivery to unlock cost savings. This product was built from cutting-edge scientific advancements, state-of-the-art engineering, trusted studio relationships, and rooted in a real-world at-scale Emmy®-winning collaboration with Disney Streaming Services and SSIMWAVE.
Stream Smart™ will be the centerpiece of the IMAX showcase at IBC 2023. Sign up to meet with PFT and IMAX Streaming & Consumer Technology group at IBC:
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture, and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX systems to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, making IMAX's network among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As of June 30, 2023, there were 1,718 IMAX systems (1,638 commercial multiplexes, 12 commercial destinations, 68 institutional) operating in 87 countries and territories. Shares of IMAX China Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "1970."
About Prime Focus Technologies
Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the creator of CLEAR® and CLEAR® AI. It offers streaming platforms, studios, and broadcasters transformational AI-led technology and media services powered by the cloud that help them lower their Total Cost of Operations (TCOP) by automating their content supply chain. PFT works with major companies like Walt Disney-owned Star TV, Channel 4, ITV, Sinclair Broadcast Group, A&E Networks, Warner Media, PBS, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, Lionsgate, Showtime, HBO, NBCU, TERN International, Disney+ Hotstar, BCCI, Indian Premier League and more.
About DNEG
DNEG (www.dneg.com) is a world-leading visual entertainment services company for the creation of feature film, television, and multiplatform content, with worldwide offices and studios across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
DNEG's critically acclaimed work has earned the company seven Academy Awards® for Best Visual Effects and numerous BAFTA and Primetime EMMY® Awards for its high-quality VFX work. Current and upcoming DNEG projects on behalf of its Hollywood and global studio and production company partners include Spy Kids Armageddon (September 2023), No One Will Save You (September 2023), The Gilded Age S2 (October 2023), Nyad (November 2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 2023), Lift (January 2024), Dune: Part Two (March 2024), Mickey 17 (March 2024), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (April 2024), Garfield (May 2024), Borderlands (August 2024), Furiosa (2024), That Christmas, Coyote vs. Acme, The Gorge, and Animal Friends.
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Solutions
businesswire | July 17, 2023
Calix, Inc. announced today that its latest series of customizable market activation videos has once again been honored for enabling Calix customers to achieve marketing excellence. The video series, starring comedian Gerry Dee, is recognized as the best “Content and Sponsored Marketing Campaign” in public relations and marketing by The FAXIES, presented by Cablefax. Calix also received an honorable mention for “Use of Video or VR/AR” in audience engagement and experience.
The video series is available to Calix customers as part of the award-winning Calix Market Activation (Market Activation) program. These highly engaging and funny videos, which recently won a Digiday Video & TV award, convey the value of Calix SmartLife™ managed services like cybersecurity, social media monitoring, and community-wide Wi-Fi. Increasingly, Calix customers are adopting such services on the Calix broadband platform to differentiate their brands beyond speed and price.
The Market Activation program allows any size broadband service provider (BSP) to run sophisticated marketing campaigns that promote the value they deliver in their communities. New creative assets are uploaded to the Market Activation program for immediate use each time Calix expands its growing managed services ecosystem. All BSPs need to do is add their logo and brand voice. This enables them to go to market with new services 65 percent faster while securing an edge against any competitor—even those with much larger marketing budgets.
The Market Activation program has evolved over the past six years from 1-1 consultations to a robust marketing enablement program—complete with brand evolution workshops and access to thousands of customizable go-to-market creative assets. Today, it supports BSPs in reshaping their value propositions and establishing distinctive brand identities. The program now includes three tools for BSPs to actively market their Wi-Fi and managed services: the Electronic Content Builder (ECB), the Market Activation Video Editor (MAVE), and the Calix Web Builder.
Broadband leaders across North America are leveraging the Market Activation program to quickly launch differentiated managed services that grow their business, engage subscribers, and deliver more value to their communities. For example:
Highline leveraged creative assets in the ECB to achieve 56 percent subscriber growth. Broadband leader Highline leverages the ECB’s customizable creative assets, together with support from Calix Customer Success Services, to save significantly on the cost to market their new managed services in Colorado, Georgia, and four other states. This was critical in growing their subscriber base 56 percent in 2022.
Tularosa used the MAVE to supercharge social engagement. The MAVE enables New Mexico-based Tularosa Communications to easily personalize the Gerry Dee videos to share across their social channels. By investing just $36 for a two-week Facebook ad campaign leveraging the videos, the BSP drove a 31 percent increase in service upgrades.
City of Pharr saved thousands of dollars promoting their Wi-Fi service with Calix Web Builder. With the new Calix Web Builder, BSPs can launch captivating websites at a fraction of the cost of starting from scratch. They can personalize pre-designed page templates that install in under five minutes, resulting in significant savings of $2,500-$5,000 per page. The City of Pharr in Texas partnered with Calix to revamp their website for the TeamPharr.Net broadband launch. The Calix Web Builder saved them time and money and boosted signups as they moved from one of the worst-connected cities to one of the best in less than two years.
In October, at the 18th annual innovation and customer success conference, Calix ConneXions, the company will unveil a new slate of videos starring Gerry Dee.
“We launched the Market Activation program in 2017 because we understand that many of our customers must do a lot with a little,” said Matt Collins, chief commercial operations officer at Calix. “Through this program, we ensure that vision and devotion to the subscriber experience, not budget size, determine broadband market winners. Six years later, we have worked with hundreds of BSPs to define their brands by the unique subscriber experiences they now offer, using our platform and support. This recognition from The FAXIES further proves that broadband business success is driven by personalized brand experiences.”
About Calix
Calix, Inc Broadband service providers of all sizes leverage the Calix platform and teams to simplify their business and excite their subscribers to grow the value of their business and for their communities for generations. The democratizing power of the platform and portfolio of managed services enables them to operate efficiently, acquire subscribers, and deliver exceptional experiences. Calix is dedicated to driving continuous improvement in partnership with our growing ecosystem to support the transformation of our customers and their communities.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this release, and we assume no obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect any event or circumstance after the date of this release, except as required by law. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from current expectations based on risks and uncertainties affecting Calix’s business. The reader is cautioned not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information on potential factors that could affect Calix’s results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.
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Media and Broadcasting
prnewswire | August 21, 2023
Hard Rock Digital today launched its Hard Rock Bet platform in New Jersey, delivering an elevated experience to online players throughout the state and guests of the retail sportsbook at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The highly-rated Hard Rock Bet platform integrates online casino, sportsbook, and rewards into one easy-to-use, frictionless experience, and is available on iOS, Android, and online at HardRock.bet.
"The launch of Hard Rock Bet in New Jersey marks an important milestone as we introduce an integrated product containing our new iCasino platform alongside our highly rated sportsbook," said Marlon Goldstein, CEO of Hard Rock Digital. "We are incredibly proud of these proprietary products and are excited to bring this elevated experience to New Jersey to entertain our players like no one else can."
"We're excited to welcome Hard Rock Bet to New Jersey! The Hard Rock Bet platform will provide our guests with an upgraded gaming experience both online and at our retail sportsbook, which will have a much broader selection of available bets, daily boosts, and promotions," said George Goldhoff, President of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. "This new platform will allow us to better engage, entertain, and reward our guests with a best-in-class experience however and whenever they play."
Proprietary iCasino
The New Jersey launch marks the debut of Hard Rock Bet's proprietary iCasino, which like Hard Rock's proprietary sportsbook experience, is easy to use and offers players more ways to play, with hundreds of slots, table games, and live dealer games. The platform will offer classic slot titles, exclusive new releases, and new titles each month from the top providers in the industry.
Aside from the new gaming options, Hard Rock Bet will offer New Jersey players a significantly upgraded and seamless experience including faster user flows for sign-up, log-in, deposits and withdrawals.
Loyalty Rewards
New Jersey players will also be able to participate in a revamped online rewards experience through Hard Rock Bet's Loyalty Rewards program, which offers unified rewards across sportsbook and online casino. Prizes and experiences in the online Rewards Store will be constantly updated and include bonus play/bets, cash, Mystery Wheel spins, and even a Tesla. The tiered rewards program will provide additional benefits and allow players to earn points and rewards more rapidly.
Hard Rock Bet Loyalty Rewards will also be integrated with Hard Rock's land-based rewards programs, where available. In New Jersey, online casino play will also earn players Wild Card Comp Dollars and Tier Credits for in-person rewards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
Hard Rock Bet
Hard Rock Bet is among the highest rated online real money gaming experiences with a 4.8-star rating in the App Store and has continued to add more ways to play by recently launching Play-by-Play betting, personalized daily Overdrive Boosts, and Flex Parlays – a new feature that allows players to adjust the number of bets needed to win a multi-bet parlay. In addition to New Jersey, the Hard Rock Bet platform is currently available for sportsbook players in Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.
About Hard Rock Digital
Hard Rock Digital is the exclusive Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming vehicle for interactive gaming and sports betting on a global basis. Known the world over for its famous cafes, casinos, hotels, and music memorabilia collection, Hard Rock's legendary hospitality and entertainment serves as our foundation as we build the future of sports betting and internet gaming. Headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, and with offices in Austin, Texas and Atlantic City, New Jersey, Hard Rock Digital is dedicated to creating the best place to play for sports fans and mobile gamers everywhere.
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Solutions
businesswire | August 10, 2023
Loop Media, Inc. ("Loop Media") (NYSE American: LPTV), the free streaming television media company for business which provides over 2 billion video views every month via restaurants, retail businesses, office buildings, doctors’ offices, airports, bars and college campuses, announced today Microsoft Advertising has created a new inventory category for SSP partnerships, called CTV Out of Home (OOH).
This first of its kind SSP category will provide an additional distribution category to advertisers and DSPs from which they can access and purchase Loop Media advertising impressions. On other DSP and SSP platforms, Loop Media is categorized as DOOH (Digital Out of Home), CTV (Connected TV), Streaming, or other. This new category expands Loop Media’s potential reach in the marketplace for all potential DOOH advertising buyers, including those advertisers looking to distribute ads on CTV Out of Home service platforms.
“With this new category, Loop Media may be seen and purchased by an expanded group of advertisers in the marketplace,” said Bob Gruters, Chief Revenue Officer for Loop Media. “My team and I have been working diligently to get Loop Media positioned well across all revenue advertising categories including Microsoft Advertising’s CTV Out of Home category.”
“We are pleased to launch our new CTV-OOH library on the Microsoft Advertising platform which provides a path for clients to buy CTV-OOH supply in the proper context with clear labeling in our new venue category packages,” said Erik Zamkoff, Microsoft Advertising, associate director of Marketplace Development. “We are thrilled to feature Loop CTV-OOH supply in our new venue category packages.”
This new category premiered on Microsoft Advertising in June 2023. Buyers can access the venue category packages in Microsoft’s Deal Catalogs available via Microsoft Advertising's DSP, Microsoft Invest and 25+ participating DSPs.
About Loop Media, Inc.
Loop Media, Inc. is a leading digital out of home (DOOH) TV and digital signage platform optimized for businesses, providing free music video, news, sports and entertainment channels through its Loop TV service. Loop Media is the leading company in the U.S. licensed to stream music videos to businesses through its proprietary Loop Player.
Loop Media’s digital video content reaches millions of viewers in DOOH locations including bars/restaurants, office buildings, retail businesses, college campuses, airports and on free ad-supported TV platforms and at local gas stations on GSTV terminals in the United States.
Loop is fueled by one of the largest and most important short form entertainment libraries that includes music videos, movie trailers, branded content and live performances. Loop Media’s non-music channels cover a multitude of genres and moods and include movie trailers, sports highlights, lifestyle and travel videos, viral videos and more. Loop Media’s streaming services generate revenue from advertising, sponsorships, integrated marketing and branded content, and from subscriptions.
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