Intel invests in Anytime to push Viiv in Asia Pacific

Stuart Corner
Sunday, 27 August 2006 19:01

IT Industry - Strategy

Intel Capital has taken equity in Asia VoD content provider, Anytime and Intel intends to use the Anytime service to promote its Viiv brand for PCs designed for the digital entertainment in the home.
With the backing of Intel, Anytime will shortly launch, in Australia Anytime TV a service providing movies and other video content for download to a PC and for subsequent playback on a TV.

Anytime TV will be available direct from Anytime on any PC with a broadband connection, in contrast to the existing Anytime service offered via ISP Regional Internet, and the Anytime content offered by TransAct in the ACT.

The Anytime TV service will be launched first in Australia. "We may do some trials in Singapore, because we are based there and then Korea and Taiwan will follow in quick succession," Anytime CEO Craig Zimbulis, told iTWire.

To access the service, "users will download a very light but very sophisticated client that will allow for progressive download, background download or streaming," Zimbulis said. "If the PC is Viiv compatible, the content will be delivered to the TV. If it is just a PC, it will only allow viewing on the PC."

Anytime presently has movie content from four of the six major Hollywood studios and will announced a deal with a fifth one very shortly, according to Zimbulis.

"We will add other channels" he said. "An adult channel separately branded: we have a provider of content for that, which is quoted on Nasdaq. We will have a games channel. The provider will be a Scandinavian company, we have not announced that yet. It will give us parlour games with very good graphics There will be a 'mood' channel: a fish tank in HD [high definition] for your plasma screen; a log fire burning away."

He added: "We have wanted to do this [launch a direct service] since we started the company. Having Intel come in gave us capital and an elevated status in regards to their pushing of Viiv. Around the world Intel has nine key content aggregator partners, and we are now their key content aggregator partner for Asia Pacific.

The Anytime service has been available to TransAct customers for the past 18 months, and in March Anytime announced a deal with Townsville based ISP Regional Internet Australia.

Zimbulis said the company had been approached by a number of others, mostly small regional players. He denied the suggestion that the direct model would undermine the business case for these operators offering Anytime content. "Intel will give Anytime such a shot in the arm as a brand and a presence, I'm pretty sure that will help them."