The above article mentions that blockbuster and enron stuck deals with several company one in particular is Telus who is also a partner of on2. Interesting if Telus starts providing video on demand services throught Canada could possibly mean good income for on2.
TELUS partners with Blockbuster and Enron Broadband Services to trial streamed real-time video service
Burnaby, BC – TELUS today announced that it has signed an agreement with Blockbuster Inc. and Enron Broadband Services to conduct a trial service of streamed real-time video in early 2001 in British Columbia. The service will deliver feature-length movies from Blockbuster to the televisions of 5,000 TELUS high-speed Internet customers, taking advantage of TELUS’ ADSL network and a DSL-enabled set top box.
“This agreement is an important step for TELUS in advancing our Internet and portal strategies,” said Roy Osing, executive vice-president and president, TELUS Advanced Communications. “Our plan is to continue to partner with leading content providers as well as to leverage our ADSL network infrastructure and portal strength to deliver both free and transaction-based content such as video, audio, animation, concerts, sports and other live events to Internet and ADSL customers.”
Following a successful trial, TELUS will launch a broadband commercial video-on-demand service on its Internet portals that will be adapted for broadband customers. The TELUS portal network currently consists of MyBC.com, Alberta.com and the soon-to-be launched Toronto portal. The commercial service will enable customers to choose from an extensive library of videos through their televisions and enjoy a better than VHS-quality viewing experience.
“Streamed real-time video is an exciting example of the allure of broadband services,” said Mark Schnarr, TELUS vice-president of Internet services. “The convenience is what makes it so attractive – customers can watch what they want, when they want.”
Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) is a publicly traded subsidiary of Viacom Inc. and is the world’s leading renter of videos and video games with approximately 7,200 stores in the United States, its territories and 26 other countries. The company can be found on the Web at www.blockbuster.com. Viacom Inc. is one of the world’s largest entertainment companies and a leading force in nearly every segment of the international media marketplace.
Enron Broadband Services is a leading provider of high quality, high bandwidth delivery and application services. The company’s business model combines the power of the Enron Intelligent Network, Enron’s Broadband Operating System, bandwidth trading and intermediation services, and high-bandwidth applications to fundamentally improve the experience and functionality of the Internet. Enron’s Broadband Operating System allows application developers to dynamically provision bandwidth on demand for the end-to-end quality of service necessary to deliver broadband content. Enron has also created a market for bandwidth that will allow network providers to scale to meet the demands required by increasingly complex applications. Enron Broadband Services can be found on the Web at www.enron.net.
TELUS Advanced Communications, a division of TELUS, is a provider of e-business solutions, Internet access and multimedia services.
TELUS is Canada's second largest telecommunications company and provides a full range of advanced communication services connecting Canadians with the world. TELUS shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbols T (Common Voting) and T.A (Common Non-Voting). |
