Ipla introduces film channel
Online TV platform Ipla has just celebrated its 18th month in the market with the launch of a new video-on-demand (VOD) channel - Ipla Film. The company behind the Ipla service, Redefine (a subsidiary of Polsat), has already finalized negotiations for the rights to 100 Hollywood productions and plans to add around 60 new titles a month.
"[Getting the rights] is a particularly difficult challenge for online media, especially in Poland," said Jarosław Rawicki, the man responsible for copyright negotiations at Redefine. Users will be charged on a per-selection basis, and prices start at zł.5 per movie.
Launched in March 2008, Ipla offers a largely free selection of live and VOD content based on Polsat's portfolio of about 20,000 game shows, news and entertainment programs. The service allows users to chat, to recommend videos and create their own video libraries.
Ipla Film is the second thematic channel on the platform after Ipla Sport, which proved highly popular during the Euro 2008 soccer championship. The fact that Polsat owns the broadcasting rights to big sporting events helps Ipla gain new users.
"In November we reached a point where 2.5 million Ipla applications had been downloaded," said Marcin Pery, CEO of Redefine. Megapanel PBI/Gemius data on September online TV usage gave Ipla a 31 percent market share, making it the leader among competing services such as Tvn24.pl, Wp.tv, Plejada.pl, Tvp.pl, Onet.tv and Interia.tv.
Marcin Poznań
