Anime with Built-in Chat & Social Networking: A First from SimulTV

SELMA, Va., June 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for Anime Expo 2013 in Los Angeles July 4-7, SimulTV is launching its industry-first 'social TV everywhere' service with exclusive streaming content from the expo and an anime VOD collection that can play on any web-enabled device with voice and video chat, popular social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and online search embedded in the same screen. SimulTV's streaming service and built-in social features allow anime fans to attend conference highlights virtually – including rock concert performances by Cell and Kaya and Moonstream, opening and closing ceremonies, fashion shows and dozens of industry panels – and share their reactions with faraway friends without switching to a second device to socialize or look something up on the Internet.

The company is also selling tickets to AX at www.simultv.com and offering a free 14-day subscription to anime fans who register for a SimulTV subscription during the conference online or by using the QR code that will be provided at AX in SimulTV's Screening Room 405.

"Anime fans are bound together by their passion for the medium. They want to share their anime crushes, discuss the finer points of anime art, and debate the merits of every series. That makes anime an ideal launching pad for our combined content/social TV service," said Steve Turner, founder and president of SimulTV. "We are redefining the social TV experience by eliminating the second screen to interact with friends, family and content creators.  Anime enthusiasts can now be among the first to climb on board."

Anime Library (VOD)

The SimulTV on-demand anime library will launch with fan favorite series Blue Exorcist, Durarara!! and Fate Zero as well as the U.S and international debut of Happening Star, the kids' anime science fiction adventure series with a second movie release due in Japan later this summer. The collection will quickly expand to over 500 additional episodes of 40 anime shows available for $.99-$2.99 apiece – all with built-in social TV.

Based on the hit shonen manga of the same name, Blue Exorcist was produced by acclaimed staff at Anime Studio A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, Oreimo 2, Welcome to the Space Show). Durarara!! – a must-see for fans of extraordinary anime that blew Japanese viewers away when it was released in that country in 2010 – is based on the hit novel by Ryohgo Narita that shocked readers and the light-novel industry with its unique characters and out-of-this-world story. Fate Zero is the introductory series to Type Moon's Fate universe, one of Japan's all-time most popular multimedia franchises with titles such as Fate/stay night, Tsukihime, and Fate/Prototype and millions of novels, manga, video games and anime sold since 1998.

Social TV Everywhere

SimulTV subscribers also get :

• The first true TV Everywhere experience enabling live content to be viewed on tablets, smartphones, computers and any other web-enabled device – at home or away – thanks to proprietary technology that streams HD-quality video and also delivers picture-in-picture capabilities using less than half the usual bandwidth.
• The flexibility to add their choice of social components on the same screen they are using to watch cable TV channels or movies from SimulTV's library. Interactive video, voice and text chat as well as Facebook and Twitter can be activated with a click. Users can also add Gmail, Yahoo, LinkedIn or any other app as a plug-in – and quickly assemble a 'viewing circle' to watch and socialize together by using the invitation function on the SimulTV screen.
• A click-to-buy feature allowing DVDs of select anime titles to be purchased directly from the screen as they watch, saving time otherwise spent shopping.

Subscriptions

SimulTV subscription packages range from $5 to $20 per month and are required to order VOD titles. Subscriptions currently include 37 cable TV channels (expanding to 100 before fall) and hundreds of non-anime VOD titles (expanding to 5,000 by late summer) – again offering built-in social TV. Cable channels include SimulTV-exclusive stations dedicated to music videos, film noir, cartoons, family films, cowboy theatre, sports from around the globe and more. 

About SimulTV

SimulTV is the first 'TV Everywhere' provider that integrates content and social sharing on the same screen, eliminating the need to view cable TV or video on demand on one device while chatting, tweeting, or otherwise socializing and searching on a second.  The result is a high-definition social TV and web browsing experience that supports today's must-stay-socially-connected-while-watching-TV mindset seamlessly and naturally. The service is driven by proprietary technology developed by Interconnect Media Network Systems (IMN). To Beta test SimulTV, visit www.simultv.com.

SOURCE SimulTV