Comcast Media Center and thePlatform Announce Validation of Their Online Video Publishing Capabilities in Preserving Nielsen's Audio Watermarks

SEATTLE, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Media Center and thePlatform today announced that they have collaborated with Nielsen to validate that their online video publishing solutions successfully preserve Nielsen's audio watermarks, allowing online publishing of premium, ad-supported video content. Nielsen's ratings system uses these watermarks to measure audiences for both video programming and commercials. This system provides the C3 ratings, which are the basis for the majority of television advertising negotiations, and will be extended to video viewing on the Internet this fall. This validation is the next logical step in advancing longer-term efforts to provide multi-platform audience measurement for media and entertainment companies served by thePlatform and Comcast Media Center.

thePlatform's mpx video management and publishing system will allow networks interested in participating in "TV Everywhere" initiatives to distribute their content online, so that Nielsen can measure eligible cable, telco, and satellite video customers who access video programming via the Web.

"The combined capabilities of thePlatform and the CMC represent a fast, seamless and effective means for television networks and their advertisers to measure the 'TV Everywhere' audience, which continues to grow as a result of consumer demand for shows they can watch both when and where they wish," said Gary Traver, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Comcast Media Center.

"Media companies are now wholeheartedly embracing multi-platform video distribution, and they want to make sure that their viewers are counted in the C3 ratings," said Ian Blaine, CEO of thePlatform. "Confirmation that the Nielsen watermarks flow through the CMC process is a critical step to realizing this cross-platform goal."

For this initial implementation, thePlatform and CMC have developed a streamlined process to deliver national television shows to the Web:

• Using the CMC's Content Distribution Operations Center, or "CDOC" ingest service, CMC first captures the national video feed of a programmer's show.
• The CMC provides editing functions for its customers and transcodes the file into a format suitable for online viewing with the Nielsen audio watermark still intact. The CMC uploads the new Flash video file into the customer's video management system.
• Customers can then publish their show to an online video player or website, using a video management system like thePlatform's, which has been validated to preserve the Nielsen watermark.
• Depending on its customers' strategy, thePlatform will provide the capability to replace this file as necessary to pursue other business models, such as online video advertising insertions.

Both companies will continue to work with Nielsen as it introduces the Extended Screen ratings program to the industry later this year.

For more information about this new online commercial measurement capability, visit www.thePlatform.com. For specific details about Comcast Media Center visit www.comcastmediacenter.com. For specific details about The Nielsen Company visit www.nielsen.com.

About Comcast Media Center

Denver-based Comcast Media Center (CMC), a subsidiary of Comcast Cable, provides centralized content management and distribution solutions for cable systems, video content providers and advertisers. More information about the CMC is available at www.comcastmediacenter.com.

About thePlatform

thePlatform™ is the leading white-label video management and publishing company. Media companies rely on thePlatform as their open, central hub for managing, monetizing, and syndicating billions of professionally produced video views annually. The company's services provide unmatched versatility for designing and supporting video businesses on PCs, mobile, and TV. Customers include: Associated Press, Big Ten Network, Cablevision, CBS College Sports, CNBC, Comcast, Corus Entertainment, Cox Communications, ExerciseTV, Fox Sports Network, HIT Entertainment, NBC Local Media, PBS, PBS KIDS Sprout, Rogers, Sony BMG, Starz Play, Time Warner Cable, Travel Channel Media, and numerous others. With a 10-year history of service, thePlatform is an independent subsidiary of Comcast based in Seattle, Wash. For more information: www.theplatform.com.

Comcast and Comcast Media Center are trademarks or registered trademarks of Comcast. Other trade names used in this document are acknowledged to be the properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE thePlatform

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