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The Metropolitan Opera Joins With Leading Technology Providers to Launch the First HD-Quality Performing Arts Subscription Service

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 October 2008, 12:00 CDT

Today, the Metropolitan Opera debuts its subscription-based online video experience, making its extensive catalog of historic performances and recent high-definition productions available online. The Met is the first performing arts organization in the world to present such a wide variety of performances in an interactive, high-quality format, available via the Web for Internet or TV viewing. Working with the Met, online video technology innovators Move Networks, PermissionTV and POP developed the Met Player to ensure a superior user experience and deliver unmatched picture and sound quality for the Met's long-form programming.

News Facts:

 --  In addition to online viewing, users can extend their Met Player     experience by connecting their computers to HD TV sets and home-stereo     sound systems. --  By employing Move Networks' high-definition Internet television     capabilities and POP's account management application, integrated through     PermissionTV's smartplayer video platform and APIs, the Met continues its     groundbreaking distribution of operatic masterpieces, now reaching a global     audience. --  Move Networks, a leading provider of Internet Television services     including adaptive stream delivery, enables the Met to retain its     unequivocally high production values so viewers do not sacrifice quality     when enjoying performances via the Web.  Move Networks also facilitated the     inclusion of subtitle overlays to further expand the digestion and     comprehension of some of these historic recordings. --  PermissionTV, a leading online video platform provider, integrated all     of the technologies, significantly reducing the cost and time required to     develop the ground-breaking Met Player. With PermissionTV, the Met was able     to quickly create an interactive, easy-to-navigate online video experience     that allows users to easily find and enjoy their favorite performances. --  POP, an interactive agency that crafts innovative digital experiences,     created a personalized user experience for consumers to easily subscribe,     manage their accounts and add favorites from one place within the core Met     Opera website. --  Continuing its innovative use of electronic media, 120 historic audio     recordings and 50 full-length opera videos are now available, including     more than a dozen of the company's acclaimed "The Met: Live in HD"     transmissions, known for their extraordinary sound and picture quality and     high production values. --  New content, including HD productions and archival broadcasts, will be     added monthly. --  The service will be available for a monthly charge of $14.99 or on a     per-view price ranging from $3.99 to $4.99.      

Notable Quotes:

 --  "Committed to ensuring the quality of experience its content deserves,     the Metropolitan Opera selected Move Networks to showcase the unequivocally     high production values of its recordings," said John Edwards, CEO of Move     Networks.  "Move's unique streaming technology allows the Met Player to     engage viewers with a high-definition viewing experience. For the viewing     public and for the Metropolitan Opera, the player is win-win. With top-     notch content, a superior picture from Move Networks, a powerful platform     and a best-in-class user experience, this new video player surpasses the     traditional broadcast experience." --  "The Metropolitan Opera chose PermissionTV as its online video     platform to quickly create the most interactive, easy-to-use video     experience for its subscribers," said John Zahner, Founder and Senior Vice     President of Business Development of PermissionTV. "PermissionTV enhances     the Met Player video experience, providing a relevant, compelling user     experience to further engage opera aficionados around the globe."

Resources:

 To preview the Met Player experience: www.metplayer.org/preview To register for a subscription: www.metplayer.org To download images of the experience: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/MetPlayer_Press/Romeo.jpg http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/MetPlayer_Press/Boheme.jpg http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/MetPlayer_Press/FirstEmperor.jpg To read the Met's news announcement: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=4906 

About the Met

Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company's repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2008-09 season pays tribute to the company's extraordinary history on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, while also emphasizing the Met's renewed commitment to advancing the art form. The 2008-09 season features six new productions, 18 revivals, the final performances of Otto Schenk's production of Wagner's Ring cycle conducted by Levine, and two gala celebrations. Building on its 77-year-old radio broadcast history -- heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network -- the Met now uses advanced media distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world.

"The Met: Live In HD" series is a groundbreaking initiative that transmits performances live in high definition from the Met stage to more than 800 movie screens in 30 countries. Begun in 2006, the series reached an audience of more than 935,000 last season, more than the number of people who saw performances in the opera house. In the 2008-09 season, the HD series expands to feature 11 live transmission, starting with the Met's Opening Night Gala and spanning the entire season.

Another of the company's new media distribution platforms, Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS channel 78 is a subscription-based audio entertainment service, broadcasting both an unprecedented number of live performances each week throughout the Met's season, as well as rare historical performances, newly restored and remastered.

Met Player is the latest media platform to be introduced and will make the company's extensive broadcast content available on demand, both from past performances and as the video and audio catalogues continue to grow.

About Move Networks

Move Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet television services that drive the growth and support of online audiences for leading broadcasters and publishers including ABC, the CW, Discovery, ESPN, and Fox. The Internet television technologies and services developed and managed by Move Networks enable leading brands to deliver live and on-demand programming to millions of people without the buffering, stalling, and low-quality viewing experiences common with competing technologies.

About PermissionTV

PermissionTV provides a flexible online video platform for brand marketers and advertisers, media companies and publishers, as well as their agencies, content producers and technology providers. This platform helps organizations leverage the power of online video to achieve their marketing objectives through the creation and management of customizable experiences. PermissionTV's online video tools help customers such as Bob Vila, Boston Symphony Orchestra, FHM Magazine, Harvard Business Publishing and Intercontinental Hotels capture new audiences, enhance relationships, maximize customer value and generate revenue. For more information, please visit www.permissiontv.com.

About POP Arts Marketing

The POP Arts Marketing team of strategists, designers and technologists is focused on creating digital marketing solutions for the arts. Clients include Royal Albert Hall, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House. Led by Erin West, formerly the director of marketing & communications at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the POP Arts Marketing team has amassed an unparalleled understanding of the business, creative and technical challenges faced by arts organizations and has developed innovative solutions for helping these clients achieve their goals online. For more information on POP Arts Marketing, visit http://www.popartsmarketing.com/.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=859250

 Contact for PermissionTV: Erica Camilo BluePoint Venture Marketing 781.861.7800 Email Contact  Contact for Move Networks: Peggy M. Hayes 801.209.8813 Email Contact  Contact for POP: Minou Nguyen Illuminate PR Email Contact

SOURCE: PermissionTV

Source: MARKET WIRE

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