MIDDLETOWN, R.I., July 29, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crewtoo®, the world's largest online social network dedicated to seafarers, has now followed the March 2014 introduction of its jobs board with the launch of a redesigned website that aims to welcome shore-based professionals alongside the ever-growing seafarer membership. Crewtoo was founded by KVH Media Group, part of KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq:KVHI), less than two years ago and today has more than 105,000 members.
Upgrades to the Crewtoo site include more dynamic and user-friendly news pages, a crew resources page providing useful contact information about charities and seafarer organizations, and recommended products and services of particular interest to the Crewtoo community. Crew training organizations can now promote their courses to Crewtoo's membership, and there is a dedicated area for maritime events and conferences.
"We believe this is an exciting new phase in Crewtoo's growth," says Anneley Pickles, head of business development for Crewtoo at KVH Media Group. "Crewtoo is all about giving seafarers their voice and providing them with enough information and choices so they can make informed decisions about the things that are important to them."
For example, the decision to broaden the Crewtoo community to include shore-based professionals such as crew training organizations is intended to enable seafarers to more easily gain information about the training programs they need to advance in their careers.
"Our seafarer community is key, and we keep listening and responding to them," says Ms. Pickles. "Our goal with the enhanced website is to give crew access to more information, products, and services, and, in turn, to also enable shore-based professionals to interact with seafarers."
KVH, which operates the Crewtoo seafarer social network, has a number of maritime services that address crew welfare. KVH Media Group produces a wide range of news and entertainment content for the maritime industry with brands that include: NEWSlinkTM – daily news from around the world, in print or video; MOVIElinkTM – new-release movies from Hollywood and other international studios; TVlinkTM – popular shows and series from leading studios worldwide; SPORTSlinkTM – highlights of games and teams around the world; and MUSIClinkTM – an array of digital music. KVH Media Group's content is delivered in a number of ways, including KVH's new IP-MobileCastTM content delivery service utilizing multicasting technology.
KVH provides maritime broadband connectivity to vessels worldwide through its TracPhone® V-IP series terminals and mini-VSAT Broadbandsm service. KVH shipped its 4,000th TracPhone system for mini-VSAT Broadband earlier this year. The mini-VSAT Broadband service is the market share leader in maritime VSAT, according to an industry report by Euroconsult released in March 2014.
Note to Editors: To view the new Crewtoo website, visit www.crewtoo.com. For more information about KVH's many services and products for the maritime industry, visit KVH Media Group, www.kvhmediagroup.com, and the mini-VSAT Broadband website, www.minivsat.com/vip.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 175,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles, and aircraft. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and leisure. Videotel, a KVH company, is a leading provider of maritime training. KVH is based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and Tinley Park, IL. The company's global presence includes offices in Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, for example, statements regarding the timing and occurrence of KVH's new service rollout plans, the functionality, characteristics, quality, cost, and performance of KVH products and technology, as well as customer demand, preferences, requirements, and expectations. The actual results could differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, among others: Potential unanticipated technical or legal impediments that could delay or impede new service rollout plans or expected strategic relationships; access to sufficient and uninterrupted satellite capacity to provide the service; unanticipated increases in media costs or loss of distribution rights; risks associated with the delivery or performance of critical hardware; uncertainty about the scope of customer demand; and changes in the costs and capabilities of competing offerings. These and other risk factors are discussed in more detail in KVH's most recent Form 10-K filed with the SEC. KVH does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments.
KVH, Crewtoo, NEWSlink, MOVIElink, TVlink, SPORTSlink, MUSIClink, IP-MobileCast, TracPhone, and Videotel are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. mini-VSAT Broadband is a service mark of KVH Industries, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.