MySpace Mobile Launches Streaming Video in Beta Globally

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MySpace, the world’s premier social network, and RipCode, an innovator of Internet and mobile video infrastructure solutions, announced today that MySpace Mobile users across the globe will now be able to enjoy MySpace video content from their video enabled mobile devices. The first social portal to launch video streaming for mobile, MySpace’s beta mobile video initiative is committed to ensuring the best user experience by providing the highest quality video for mobile viewing. Users will now be able to view videos they’ve uploaded or have marked as a favorite.

“As the volume of video grows and the number of mobile devices supporting video continues to expand, companies have to find alternative solutions to deliver content to their customers across multiple screens”

The MySpace Mobile site (m.myspace.com) receives approximately three billion worldwide page views per month from more than 10 million monthly unique users. Combining the popularity of the MySpace mobile site with its vast online video library creates a compelling and dynamic mobile environment.

According to John Faith, vice president and general manager of Mobile for MySpace, the company’s growing community of users is increasingly interested in portability and on-the-go access to content. “Video is a natural next step for us in mobile,” says Faith. “MySpace will continue to grow our video library as we increase delivery channels in order to keep pace with our users’ accelerating desire for video consumption.”

In order to meet ever-increasing video demand, MySpace utilizes RipCode’s On-Demand Video Transcoding technology to optimize mobile video delivery and give users an improved mobile video experience. Real time transcoding enables MySpace to easily support several different handsets even though they require different combinations of codecs, bit rates, and resolutions. For MySpace Mobile users, 100 percent of their uploaded videos and most premium content, including branded channel such as TMZ, National Hockey League, National Geographic, The Onion, College Humor, etc., are now available on mobile devices. Because MySpace is transcoding video on-demand, there is no longer need to store the entire MySpace video library in multiple mobile formats, thus saving significant hardware, energy and storage resources.

By leveraging RipCode’s unique On-Demand Video Transcoding technology, MySpace achieves a more efficient, effective and eco-friendly method for extending video to the MySpace mobile community. “As the volume of video grows and the number of mobile devices supporting video continues to expand, companies have to find alternative solutions to deliver content to their customers across multiple screens,” said Brendon Mills, CEO of RipCode. “MySpace’s decision to choose RipCode’s innovative transcoding solution is proof that market leaders are embracing change in traditional transcoding methodologies and looking for smarter, more scalable solutions to manage mobile video growth.”

According to Frost & Sullivan, streaming mobile video services constitute the bulk of current U.S. mobile video service offerings. The MySpace mobile video service will be rolled out in beta globally, with support for the most popular streaming-enabled mobile devices. MySpace will continue to rapidly add support for more streaming-enabled devices.

Accessing and viewing video from mobile devices is a data intensive service. MySpace mobile users are advised to consult their mobile data plan to avoid excessive fees. MySpace mobile video quality, as with all mobile services, is dependent on individual device capabilities as well as network speed and connection.

About MySpace

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. MySpace has created a connected global community by integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums. MySpace's international network includes more than 30 localized community sites in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Latin America, Mexico, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, India, Japan, and New Zealand. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp. (NYSE:NWS)(NYSE:NWS.A)(ASX:NWS)(ASX:NWSLV).

Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, October 2008. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to www.comscore.com.

About RipCode

RipCode’s transcoding solution is specifically designed for the next generation of Internet video, providing a powerful dual-application infrastructure solution for delivering video on-demand and real-time video streaming. RipCode’s On-Demand and Real-Time Stream Transcoding applications are powered by its high density, high concurrency Video Transcoding Appliance and supported by RipCode’s extensive suite of video applications and Web 2.0 workflow solutions. Built to address the high-availability needs of today’s new media market, RipCode’s On-Demand and Real-Time Stream Transcoding solutions enable the cross-marketing of content over a variety of channels including mobile video, mobile broadcast, Internet video and IPTV – for the greatest flexibility in expanding video delivery and increasing revenue opportunities.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, RipCode is privately held and backed by leading venture capital firms including Hunt Ventures, Vesbridge Partners, El Dorado Ventures and ATA Ventures. For more information, visit www.RipCode.com.