Ooyala Announces Social TV for Facebook Platform

Ooyala Social Enables the Selling and Renting of Premium Video on the World’s Largest Social Network

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ooyala, Inc., the leading online video technology and services company, today announced Ooyala Social, a new HD-quality Social TV experience designed to let Facebook users share video with their friends and family, live chat while viewing, discover new content, and watch video across multiple screens and devices.

“Facebook is becoming an increasingly important distribution channel for media companies”

“Facebook is becoming an increasingly important distribution channel for media companies,” said Bismarck Lepe, president of products and co-founder, Ooyala. “Because of its 750 million monthly unique users, it offers a compelling complement to distributing video online via YouTube. We expect more and more companies to follow the lead of Warner Brothers, Miramax and Netflix as they build direct to consumer video distribution models on Facebook."

Broadcasters, distributors and Hollywood studios can capitalize on the Social TV trend by using Ooyala Social to make premium on-demand and live video widely and easily available on Facebook. The solution offers built-in social features and other tools that enable media companies to grow audiences, boost viewer engagement and realize new revenue streams.

Ooyala Social supports a number of business models, including rentals, subscriptions, purchases, and advertising. The solution also allows group-activated “screenings,” making it possible for content owners to unlock specific content if a target number of people log into Facebook to watch.

Ooyala Social is an additional entry point for Ooyala Everywhere, which enables the distribution of video content across mobile devices, connected TVs and browsers. Ooyala Social authenticates via Facebook Connect and gives users a seamless, high-quality viewing experience on tablets, mobile devices, and connected TVs. As an example, a viewer who rents a video on Facebook can start watching on their iPad, take a break, and then resume watching on their Google TV.

Ooyala Social offers Facebook users the capability to:

• Discover: Ooyala Social makes it easier for viewers to find relevant content based on their social circles.
• Share: Users can share what they’re watching and what they “Like” with their friends or “loan” a show for later viewing. Viewers can also chat together through a movie or show.
• Watch: Viewers can watch seamless video on every kind of screen and device, from tablets, to mobiles, to connected TVs. Ooyala Social also makes it possible to watch content together as a virtual group and gives content owners to the ability to “lock” their content until a preset number of viewers log in to watch simultaneously or buy a movie.
• Purchase: Users can buy with Facebook Credits, PayPal, a credit card or even their mobile phone number. Content may be rented, subscribed to, or purchased outright.

"With Ooyala Social, we're combining the power of social with HD-quality video. Users can easily share content, make recommendations to their network, and watch video simultaneously with friends. We've also integrated Facebook Credits as a payment system for publishers who are looking to launch a video store on Facebook and Facebook Connect so once a Facebook user has paid for content, they can take that experience everywhere," Lepe said.

About Ooyala

Ooyala is the leading online video technology and services company. Ooyala provides online video publishing, analytics and monetization to leading global companies to help increase revenue. With Ooyala's comprehensive online video solution, content owners gain viewer insights that enable strategic business decisions. Ooyala has over 500 customers including global media companies and brands including Dell, ESPN, Fremantle Media, News International, Sephora, Telegraph Media Group, and Yahoo! Japan. Visit Ooyala on Facebook and follow @Ooyala on Twitter.