Broadcom Corp has launched a content-driven media company to galvanize demand for internet-based video and interactive cable television services and increase sales of its specialty semi- conductors to digital set-top box makers. Broadband Interactive Group or Big will tout live coverage of so-called extreme sports, such as surfing and snowboarding, over the internet or via […]
Broadcom Corp has launched a content-driven media company to galvanize demand for internet-based video and interactive cable television services and increase sales of its specialty semi- conductors to digital set-top box makers.
Broadband Interactive Group or Big will tout live coverage of so-called extreme sports, such as surfing and snowboarding, over the internet or via cable TV. The venture is based on a content- licensing agreement with privately-held surfwear maker, Gotcha International, whose media assets include the Cotcha.com web site and a library of sports footage. Broadcom would not disclose the terms of the deal with Gotcha. Functionality will include on- demand replay and statistics, and the ability to book a holiday to a destination while watching live footage from the same place. Big, to be based in Irvine, California, alongside Broadcom, will court the internet-savvy 10 to 24-year-old market, executives said.
The move is in the mold of other industry initiatives designed to boost the appeal of broadband networks, which offer internet connectivity up to 50-times faster than the fastest dial-up modems and, via streaming software, offer rich video and voice content. Just last week Microsoft Corp announced a collaborative venture with 35 media and technology firms to improve the quality of video and sound available over broadband networks.
Broadcom chief executive, Henry Nicholas, said: We believe this investment will accelerate the creation of compelling broadband interactive content, thus spurring greater demand for the advanced cable set-top boxes of out customers. Nicholas said the he was looking to the venture to hike demand for Broadcom’s chips for set-top boxes in consumers homes from a current level of tens of thousands into the tens of millions.
Rather than have the industry wait two to three years for there to be 5 million or 10 million of the boxes in the home, we’re developing the content now, Nicholas told the Los Angeles Times. What we want see is in the tens of millions, he added.
Big chief executive, Matt Jacobsen, a former executive at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, said the firm planned to diversify its appeal into different demographic groups by acquisitions. Nicholas also said he envisaged Big using ecommerce to advertise and selling products direct to consumers over their television.
The firm is said to have had discussions already with David E Kelley, creator of prime-time favorite, Ally McBeal, who has signaled an interest in producing TV shows with interactive features. It is also expected to draw programming from News Corp’s US national syndicated TV station, Fox. á
