SeaChange announces Axiom On Demand 5.0, the only open VOD content delivery platform to bring social networking, time-shifting, advanced advertising and gaming to television. Shaped by billions of on-demand streams delivered for cable and IPTV television operators, Axiom 5.0 will be demonstrated for the first time at the Cable Show in New Orleans. Breakthroughs including Affinity, ReStart TV, and Game Now Lite are just three of the new add-on applications that best embody Axiom On Demand’s innovation, and its ability to ensure viewer loyalty and new revenue streams.

KidsCo is offering a VOD service in South Korea. The new VOD service is a first for the channel and is the result of a major agreement between KidsCo and South Korean operator, hanaTV, the leading IPTV company in the territory.

The agreement sees leading KidsCo programming including Babar, Madeline, Sonic the Hedgehog, Cyberchase, Franklin and Rolie Polie Olie available on demand in the region. KidsCo’s presence in South Korea follows its strategic expansion into the world’s TV markets with the channel now broadcasting in key territories including Romania, the Middle East, Hungary, Russia, Turkey, Poland, Singapore, the Philippines and territories across sub-Saharan Africa. It is anticipated that KidsCo will be airing in up to 40 territories including Europe and Latin America within the next 18 months.

Concurrent announces that Cox Communications has completed a Master Purchase Agreement to deploy MediaHawk 4500 VOD servers across Cox’s entire VOD-enabled subscriber base. The multi-year agreement will enable Cox to standardize on the Concurrent MediaHawk Content Delivery System across all Cox markets, with Concurrent’s MediaHawk 4500 replacing other server brands and integrating with SeaChange’s AXIOM back office. Every Cox system will upgrade during this time, adding additional streams and increased content storage. Additionally, as part of the agreement, Cox has been granted a license to Concurrent’s targeted advertising patent portfolio.

Private launched its content for VOD on the Neuf Cegetel IPTV platform in France as part of Neuf's Triple-Play offer. Neuf TV offers more than 200 TV channels, including all leading French and international channels, and a library of 5,000 VOD/SVOD titles, featuring news, series, movies and documentaries. With respect to Private, Neuf VOD will provide access to hundreds of titles from Private's extensive proprietary movie library, including both new releases as well as classic blockbuster titles.

Screen Digest’s latest report published today entitled On-demand media: Re-inventing the retail business model, examines the market for on-demand media (ODM, sometimes referred to as ‘manufacturing-on-demand’). The research assesses the potential of this emerging market to revolutionise both how people buy video and how retailers and rights owners distribute it. The report is the first detailed study of ODM and forecasts its likely impact in Europe and the US to 2012.

ODM; the solution to a saturated market? The video business is approaching saturation point in many markets. High street and even online retailers are struggling to accommodate an ever-expanding DVD catalogue while rights owners find that only the most popular titles can secure shelf space. ODM provides a way of tackling these problems by enabling retailers to offer a huge range of titles without the constraints associated with the traditional video supply chain. Rights holders will have the opportunity to exploit ‘long tail’ content – including video titles currently not considered viable for commercial DVD release - as well as the chance to explore alternative retail channels. Consumers will not only enjoy the benefits of a wider range of content and a greater choice of distribution outlets, but will also be able to pick and mix from a library of episodic content to create their own compilation DVDs.

AT&T U-verse IPTV customers won't have to travel half way around the world to connect to the excitement of the 2008 Olympics. In anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, AT&T announces AT&T Team USA On Demand, a new category of free Video On Demand content exclusive to AT&T U-verse IPTV.

AT&T Team USA On Demand features exclusive episodes and behind-the-scenes footage of U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls as they train for and compete in various sports, including gymnastics, beach volleyball, track and field, BMX, tae kwon do, swimming and diving.

As part of AT&T Team USA On Demand, U-verse IPTV customers can now enjoy the AT&T Tips and Training program, an original production that provides fans access to sport-specific training tips from several elite U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls. AT&T Tips and Training program content is also available via the AT&T blue room.

Concurrent released new software for the MediaHawk 4500 video-on-demand server. The upgraded release increases output for the MH4500 to 2,300 streams (standard definition content @ 3.75 Mbps), a 40% increase in output from the server’s initial release in January 2007, while supporting additional NGOD (next generation on-demand) requirements.

The new software release supports many additional NGOD specifications, broadening the NGOD support already available in earlier releases. The MediaHawk 4500 is also ISA and RTSP compliant, and has been commercially deployed in both NGOD and ISA based VOD configurations supporting advanced on-demand applications such as the time-shifted TV service “Start Over.”

Tandberg Television's OpenStream Digital Services platform has been fully deployed by Multimedia Polska to power its entire on-demand VOD services.

Multimedia Polska has over 600,000 customers and is one of the leading Polish providers of triple-play, combining hybrid cable/IPTV television, broadband internet and fixed-line telephony in a single package. The VOD service is a critical part of the Polish operator’s deployment of a major, advanced multimedia offering. Programming includes a broad line up of movies, sports and entertainment and is available either via free, subscription, transaction or ‘time-shift/catch-up’ services. Multimedia Polska also launched a HDTV offering last year using Tandberg Television encoding and future plans will see the operator introduce more advanced, revenue generating services such as mobile TV.

As the battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD becomes increasingly irrelevant while broadband Internet and video on demand emerge as the pipeline for programming and movies into the living room, VOD pioneer Studio 4 Networks reports a 300 percent increase in program views and 158 percent growth of views per VOD-enabled household.

In addition to shifting viewer consumption habits, the growth is attributed to multiple new system launches during the quarter. With the latest round of new carriage agreements, Studio 4 Networks now reaches 3 of the top 5 US cable and satellite services as well as the top 2 carriers in Canada among others.

HBO will make it's content available on the Internet. HBO on Broadband will begin rolling out Tuesday, in Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wis., with other markets following later. HBO on Broadband will offer 600 titles each month, with 400 of those available at any time, as well as a live stream of the main HBO channel, a feature that may appeal to subscribers who are away from home.

HBO’s programming is to be watched in a separate computer application that downloads shows to the hard drive. The application is available only on Windows PCs initially and the downloaded content cannot yet be transferred to portable devices. The downloaded content also expires four weeks after being downloaded. The application allows users to set up accounts for each family member and use parental controls that can block violent or explicit content.

Currently, the company has no time-line for when it will be available to all U.S. subscribers.

NS8 Corp. has partnered with Akimbo Systems to launch its iWAVE Interactive services in the U.S. for the first time. Akimbo will be the exclusive North American partner for iWAVE and will use the service to power its Internet video storefront and integrated back-end management system.

Akimbo has developed a turnkey solution for content providers and distributors that allows them to set their own terms and financial models on their own websites and platforms, thus giving them more control and greater opportunity to realize the full revenue-generating potential of their product. In addition, Akimbo offers VOD content on its own website with an array of "channels" organized into genres that include Anime, Health & Wealth, Exploration & Adventure, Family & Fun, and Sports, as well as special interest TV series, animation, movies, documentaries, and music. Akimbo also syndicates one of the largest VOD libraries to MSOs, Telcos, and other secure platforms.

SK Telecom plans to launch a VOD TV service that can be used through any Internet operator. SK Telecom will soon start the service with Samsung Electronics to provide set-top boxes. The move comes as three local Internet operators -- Hanarotelecom, KT Corp. and LG Dacom -- step up efforts to capitalize on a burgeoning Internet-based TV business under which their subscribers can view dramas, movies and other multimedia content through high-speed Internet connections.

Verizon is unwrapping high-definition video-on-demand in many of its FiOS TV markets. HD VOD is now available over the FiOS TV systems in Richmond and Virginia Beach, Va.; Tampa, Fla.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Pittsburgh. It is coming soon to the FiOS systems in the Washington, D.C., metro area, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; and to Verizon's remaining FiOS TV markets next year.

Verizon last month said it expects to have more than 150 HD channels by the end of 2008 as it continues to add to its HD lineup, and programmers launch new channels. It also said that it would increase its HD VOD titles to more than 1,000 in 2008.

Irish telecoms provider Smart Telecom has selected Verimatrix to secure its advanced interactive and Video-on-Demand service in Ireland, called Smart Vision. The Verimatrix Video Content Authority System enables Smart Telecom to deliver secure, premium content throughout its digital video network.

Dublin-based Smart Telecom is a progressive operator in the Irish market that has built a next generation Carrier Ethernet network to offer triple play services – digital television, broadband and telephone. Its recent €2.5 million investment in IPTV will enable Smart Telecom to offer Smart Vision with more than 100 television and radio channels to 550,000 homes in Ireland. Based on figures from analyst firm Screen Digest, the European IPTV market is set to double in subscriptions from 2.9 million in 2006 to 5.6 million during 2007.

Yahoo has signed an agreement with Sony BMG to extend its video-on-demand license. In addition to expanding the existing relationship into additional territories around the world, the new worldwide deal adds a broad array of additional Sony BMG music videos to the Yahoo! Music catalog. As part of the agreement, Sony BMG music videos will be available for distribution across Yahoo! and off-network through a Yahoo-branded video player. The deal also enables Yahoo! users to utilize various Sony BMG audio recordings in user generated audiovisual content.