BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today FilmOn TV Networks (http://www.FilmOn.com) unveiled its long awaited partnership with Minnesota based MSO, FTTH with a brand new OTT service available at http://www.FTTHweb.com
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=12483
Last year FilmOn.TV entered into a technology and content licensing agreement with the Minnesota based MSO, FTTH to enable its cable TV lineup within FTTH's Minneapolis/St Paul DMA. Along with FilmOn's offering of over 150 linear live TV Channels, 10,000 movies on Demand and FIlmOn's Virtual Public Access platform FilmOn.us.
In Minneapolis/St Paul, FTTH pays carriage fees to its channel partners that include all the major networks and the traditional cable networks that come in the basic and premium FTTH packages including ESPN, HBO, Bravo, TNT, Showtime and many more.
"The FilmOn platform gives our subscribers the ability to see our content virtually everywhere within the Minneapolis/St Paul geography, on iPhone, Android, Roku, PC and many other devices," said Jeffrey Feldman, President, of FTTH Communications. "The FilmOn platform adds a service that separates us from much larger cable providers, and quickly adds subscribers to our all-digital cable network."
Feldman continued, "Audiences in Minneapolis/St Paul can watch everything that FTTH pays carriage fees for including networks like the local NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC channels along with the rest of our cable tier in the Minneapolis/St Paul market. To the rest of the world it offers the additional FilmOn content package that the company has cleared for global distribution."
This partnership originated over a year ago, but developed slowly because FilmOn.TV had been the source of many legal battles, with the four major networks over retransmission fees. However, FilmOn.TV has always maintained its position that it wishes to pay subscription fees to all content providers and networks it delivers.
"We are already working with the networks in other territories around the world and want to make sure our content partners get their fair share," said billionaire/CEO Alki David. "FilmOn creates its own content and we understand the sanctity of Intellectual property."
FilmOn's partnership with FTTH is quite opposite to contender Aereo, owned by another prolific billionaire Barry Diller, who has said that he refuses to pay retransmission fees.
Broadcasters say Aereo illegally cuts into the money they earn from satellite operators and other video service providers that rebroadcast their shows. Aereo argues that with the rental of antennas, the signal is broadcast without the need to pay fees.
Alki David said, "Aereo's antenna technology essentially copied technology from FilmOn, as did similar companies like Skitter." The difference being that FilmOn.TV currently has content it has licensed from the US and abroad. Delivering state of the art streams to set-top boxes like Roku, Lookee TV and Boxee as well as iPhones, Android and many other mobile devices.
"I am surprised that a man of Barry's stature would stoop to these sorts of tactics," said Alki David, "I have always maintained throughout our legal battles with the networks that we are pro carriage fees. Though we support Barry with his little antenna tactic, we do not condone his 'something for nothing' approach."
Another place where the two men's circles meet is the fact that Barry Diller has been a Director of The Coca-Cola Company since 2002 and Alki David is a majority shareholder of Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling, the second largest Coca Cola Bottler in the World.
"In order to defend its position, FilmOn.TV has spent a fortune in a deeply flawed issue," added Mr. David. "In the meantime while the court system trudges on, FilmOn has evolved and changed to move with popular trends, building a huge content offering and super advanced live streaming platform. We have done so in such a way that if the networks don't wake up soon, they will ultimately become as irrelevant as the major record labels. Fortunately, advertisers today recognize that Nielsen is an archaic system. Marketers are making their decisions on more dynamic and far more interactive data."
The FilmOn.TV Networks logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=12335
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
