Verizon Digital Media Services and thePlatform Form Strategic Alliance to Provide End-to-End Online Video Solution

NEW YORK, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Digital Media Services and thePlatform, the leading white-label video publishing company and an independent subsidiary of Comcast, today announced a new strategic alliance to accelerate major media and pay-TV operators' plans for multiscreen video delivery.

The companies have integrated the Verizon Digital Media Services suite of video services and thePlatform's mpx video-management system to form a complete solution, which the companies will jointly sell. The alliance brings to market a streamlined workflow for online video streaming, from content management through delivery to consumers on multiple screens.

The combined solution will allow customers to manage a complete IP-video solution from a single Web-based console. The leading cloud-based video publishing and management platform of thePlatform and Verizon's video workflow solution -- which includes single-format media processing for the highest quality playback across devices and industry-leading content delivery network -- unite the video ecosystem in one integrated offering.

"Our customers will benefit from thePlatform's industry-leading video management system and digital asset management capabilities," said Chris Carey, chief product officer of Verizon Digital Media Services. "And thePlatform's customers will benefit from our game-changing single-format video acquisition and distribution service. This is a win-win for both companies, expanding market reach as well as delivering a comprehensive solution to customers."

Said Marty Roberts, co-chief executive officer of thePlatform: "We've worked with EdgeCast Networks for many years, and our customers have benefitted from the world-class performance, availability, scalability and security that its delivery network provides. The combination of EdgeCast Networks with Verizon Digital Media Services video solutions complements our cloud-based online video platform. We're broadening our relationship with Verizon Digital Media Services to enable joint customers to create better tailored solutions, reduce operational complexity and expand their video businesses."

The integration provides scale and quality of experience while simplifying complex features like dynamic ad insertion, closed captioning and analytics. Customers will be able to manage files and metadata; set business and monetization policies; enforce content viewing rights; provision video players; and distribute videos to their own websites, third-party sites, smartphones, tablets, game consoles and more.   

The new alliance has found early success in the marketplace, having launched two key customers in recent months. The end-to-end Verizon Digital Media Services solution powers the authenticated TV Everywhere experience for REVOLT TV (www.revolt.tv), a music cable channel available to 50 million individuals across television, Web, digital and mobile devices. Bellator, a mixed martial arts league co-owned by Viacom, recently launched a completely new version of bellator.com, built from the ground up using the integrated Verizon Digital Media Services and mpx solution.

About Verizon Digital Media Services
Verizon Digital Media Services offers enterprises a suite of robust and flexible end-to-end video solutions for best-in-class TV Everywhere and superior over-the-top experiences. Built on one of the world's most advanced networks with a video-optimized platform, Verizon Digital Media Services delivers a vast range of content management and delivery services with carrier-grade quality, reliability, security and scale.

For more information about Digital Media Services, visit www.verizondigitalmedia.com.

About thePlatform
thePlatform publishes video and other media to PCs, mobile devices and TV. Media companies rely on thePlatform as their open, central hub for managing, monetizing and syndicating billions of professionally produced video views annually. thePlatform currently provides video management services to numerous programmers, leading media companies and five of the top cable TV service providers in North America, including the largest TV Everywhere deployments.

More information about thePlatform is available at www.thePlatform.com.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 104.6 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 177,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon