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Jeff Pulver Introduces the ''Fat Tail'' of Online Video and Launches Prime Time Rewind at Spring VON Conference: New Destination Site Helps Viewers Find, Watch and Share Primetime Network Television Programs Online

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 09:00 CDT

Jeff Pulver, one of the cofounders of Vonage and creator of Pulver Media and the VON events, formally unveiled Prime Time Rewind at the Spring VON.x Show today. Prime Time Rewind provides a single site where viewers are never more than one click away from their favorite prime-time television programs, regardless of network or genre. The site, currently in Beta, can be found at http://www.primetimerewind.tv.

While many online video sites have embraced content along the much publicized and debated "long-tail," which provides vast amounts of niche content for small audiences, Prime Time Rewind squarely targets the "fat-tail" end of the spectrum, by connecting viewers with traditionally mass-consumed network programming, while respecting the way in which networks present their programs on their Web sites.

"This year has been the first television season in which each of the networks embraced the Web by offering complete episodes of their prime-time programs for free. While this is an exciting development for consumers, the discovery and viewing experience can be rather challenging. There's no single platform for watching programs; each network requires visiting and hunting through a very different site. It's like having to own a different television set for each individual network," said Co-Founder and Chairman Jeff Pulver. "By providing one site on the Web where viewers know they can find any available primetime television show, we're removing the barriers to help improve the online viewing experience. Now, if you've missed the latest episode of your favorite prime time program, you can go to primetimerewind.tv and quickly and easily watch it at your convenience."

Central to the site is "The Cube," a rich internet application that provides a multi-sided, three-dimensional view of all prime time television content that is available online. "The Cube" empowers viewers to sort programs by network (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TNT and USA, with more networks to be added), and genre (action, comedy, reality, drama) to easily watch the latest episodes of their favorite programs. Users can customize "The Cube" with their favorite programs, as well as videos from YouTube and other video-centric social media sites.

Important to note, Prime Time Rewind is not stealing traffic and viewers from the networks' sites, rather acts as an affiliate and drives viewers their way. The Prime Time Rewind site is not a file-sharing system, nor does it contain its own video player. Instead, viewers click through "The Cube" to open a control-panel interface that brings consumers to the networks site, and presents the content in each network's individual video player and presentation format, including advertisements. Viewers get the same experience as they would by simply clicking through to the sites for ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, TNT and USA -- without having to hunt for the favorite episodes of their show. Ultimately, the networks receive additional traffic for their programs, while viewers have a single destination and platform from which to watch all of their favorite shows, regardless of the network or genre.

Television Embraces the Web--With a Fractured Viewing Experience

The current television season is the first in which most networks--broadcast and cable--are providing their programs, in their entirety, for free on the Internet. While the traditional television set serves as a common platform to easily find programs and switch between networks, the viewing experience on the Internet is quite different. There is no easy means to "change channels" on the Internet, other than moving from Web site to Web site; similarly, each network's Web site organizes content in a unique, and often, confusing way.

Prime Time Rewind simplifies watching network television programming online, while adding key social media capabilities. With Prime Time Rewind, all of your favorite prime time television programs are never more than one click away.

Pulver, Shafrir Lead Executive Team

The new company features Jeff Pulver as co-founder and chairman. He is joined by co-founder and CEO Amit Shafrir, the former president of premium services at AOL. Prime Time Rewind is based in New York and is launching with undisclosed seed funding raised from Pulver and angel investors.

Additional Features and Benefits

The Control Panel--The heart of Prime Time Rewind's social-networking center, the Control Panel allows users to rate programs and share their favorites with other viewers.

The Play Frame--As Prime Time Rewind does not have its own player, the Play Frame presents the episode in each network's individual player.

Personal Facet--Users can create personal facets with favorite network programs as well as videos from YouTube, other social-media sites or any RSS source of online video.

Widgets-- A user's personal version of "The Cube" can be available as an embeddable widget. This allows the user to take their favorites to their blog or any popular social media site, such as Facebook or MySpace.

About Prime Time Rewind

Prime Time Rewind is the social-media site that makes sure your favorite prime-time programs from major broadcast and cable networks are never more than one click away. Prime Time Rewind puts viewers firmly in control of watching network, prime-time television programs on the Internet, while respecting the networks and their intellectual property by presenting the program, complete with advertisements, in each networks' individual video player. The company was founded in 2007 by Jeff Pulver, a true pioneer of the TV on the Internet industry.

Source: Business Wire

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