KickApps Launches App Studio with Integration of Meebo and Yahoo Maps

NEW YORK & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KickApps, the industry’s leading on-demand social media, video player and widget platform, today announced the release of the KickApps App Studio, the next generation of its drag-and-drop Widget and Video Player authoring solution. Users of the web-based KickApps App Studio can create highly customized embeddable Flash applications with drag-and-drop ease, including the ability to integrate best-of-breed third party applications, content and web services. The KickApps Widget and Player authoring tool already produces over 90 million app views per month.

Meebo and Yahoo! Maps represent the first third-party embeddable applications distributed via the KickApps platform. Meebo Rooms are available today and Meebo Community IM will be integrated into the KickApps Platform in the near future. KickApps previously enabled the easy integration of third-party ad networks to its video players (including Google AdSense for Video, ScanScout, Adap.tv, RealMedia 24/7 and DoubleClick DART). Moving forward all application developers will find that KickApps is the most efficient way to reach tens of thousands of top-tier web publishers, including National Geographic, HBO, and the San Francisco 49ers.

KickApps will invite developers to submit their Flash applications and components to the KickApps Flex-based App Studio. As a result, any web publisher using the KickApps platform will gain instant access to the largest selection of highly customizable widgets, players and embeddable applications. At the same time developers gain distribution of their products to a marketplace that currently exceeds 50,000 web publishers, with over 1,000 new publishers joining each week. The plug in APIs will be made generally available in early Q2.

The KickApps App Studio offers tremendous opportunity for web publishers of all sizes to very efficiently create interactive applications that can be embedded on any page of their website or shared virally across the web. With a Photoshop-like interface, users simply drag applications and components (e.g. video players, photo slideshows, RSS feeds, chat, member lists, interactive ad units, rooms and maps) onto the canvas to customize every aspect of the appearance and functionality.

“The goal of KickApps is to become the platform of choice for web publishers looking for a comprehensive platform to manage all aspects of their website experience,” said Alex Blum, CEO, KickApps. “The KickApps App Studio and its ability to enable broad distribution of third-party applications like Meebo and Yahoo! Maps is an essential component of our plan to offer publishers best of breed applications from the global developer community. The KickApps platform provides the data layer that ties together a full range of applications, making integration seamless for web publishers looking to efficiently deploy engaging user experiences.”

Taking full advantage of the seamless application integration provided by the KickApps App Studio, Parenthood.com deployed a custom Meebo chat application to enhance their community experience (http://www.parenthood.com/communitycenter.php). Parenthood.com now hosts several weekly live community Meebo chat events for members to discuss issues related to parenthood and pregnancy. As part of a broader social media experience, chat enables publishers like Parenthood to increased revenue opportunities, user engagement and time spent on the company’s website.

“The KickApps Platform has been instrumental in helping us to build out our new community section. We look forward to using the easy-to-use content distribution tools to help meet our community objectives,” said Tom Gonzales, general manager, Parenthood.com.

KickApps-powered websites can leverage Meebo to increase user engagement and time spent online in their communities. Meebo enables real-time social interactions with instant messaging and group chat at meebo.com and on partner sites across the Web. With Meebo Community IM, Meebo is providing a version of its popular instant messaging service designed specifically for seamless integration into content sites and online communities, thereby enabling live communication and real-time notifications between members. Visitors to Meebo Rooms average over ten minutes in a room per session, making Meebo Rooms one of the Web's most universally engaging Flash widgets.

“Meebo is excited to offer KickApps customers the ability to embed Meebo into their sites, thereby enabling real-time social interactions for users and increased engagement for communities,” said Seth Sternberg, CEO and co-founder, Meebo. “Both Meebo and KickApps are committed to providing users with a service that is effective and easy to use. By enabling a seamless integration of Meebo Community IM and Meebo Rooms within KickApps sites, Meebo is continuing to provide best-of-breed solutions for real-time social interaction throughout the Web.”

About Meebo, Inc.

With over 40 million people sharing over 5 billion messages and 75 million links every month, Meebo is one of the Web’s fastest growing social media companies. Founded in September 2005, Meebo enables real-time social interactions with instant messaging and group chat at meebo.com and on partner sites across the Web. Meebo is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. Visit meebo.com to connect with friends live on the Web.

About KickApps

Selected by BusinessWeek readers as Best of the Web 2008, KickApps provides on-demand social media, online video and widget applications that enable web publishers and marketers to drive deeper customer relationships, and grow, engage and monetize online audiences. Its SaaS platform includes social networking, user-generated content, programmable video players, drag-and-drop widget building, WidgeADs™ and other applications that are tightly integrated with robust media moderation, member management and reporting. Customers include: SOAPnet, CW Television, Guinness World Records, Scripps Network Interactive, HBO, Cinemax, Cox Television, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and thousands of other sites. For more information, visit www.kickapps.com and www.kickdeveloper.com.

All brands, names, or trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.