Miniweb to integrate blinkx's video search engine

blinkx Takes on TV; Patented Technology to Power Search, Recommendations and Ad Targeting on Miniweb’s Pioneering Interactive TV Platform

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. & LONDON, UK. — blinkx (LSE AIM: BLNX), the world’s largest video search engine, today announced a technology integration agreement with Miniweb, the Interactive Service Provider that is enabling internet video, interactivity and targeted web-style advertising on TV. Under the terms of the agreement Miniweb will use blinkx’s industry-leading software for video search, syndication, recommendations, targeting and personalization as part of its online services platform. This will allow audiences to seamlessly search and discover broadcast television and internet video from multiple sources on blinkx’s index of 35 million hours of video content using Miniweb-enabled, broadband-connected devices.

The rapid proliferation of broadband connectivity to the home means that it is now possible for millions of viewers to connect their TV devices to home networks, bringing together the power of TV and the internet. As a result, traditional television has evolved into a connected platform for internet derived content and services that offers viewers a personalized, on-demand, and community driven experience – true next generation TV.

Miniweb, a pioneer in delivering internet content to TV devices, and the recipient of the Best Interactive Service/Application award at IPTV World Forum 2009, has selected blinkx as a technology partner to enhance the video capabilities on its platform. By partnering with Miniweb, which is already live in more than 9 million UK homes and supports over 600 interactive TV Sites, blinkx’s sophisticated search and recommendation capabilities for internet video will now be part of Miniweb’s broadband TV experience to consumers through their televisions.

“Combining broadcast and broadband TV will provide audiences with access to an incredibly rich and diverse universe of video content,” said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO, blinkx. “As the leader in video search, blinkx is ideally suited to help viewers navigate this universe, both through search and through recommendations. Miniweb is a true visionary in the Interactive TV space and we’re thrilled to be included as part of its platform to help enable personalized online video and give viewers access to a wide range of additional entertainment through their TVs.”

The personalization of TV is a major trend that is currently being explored throughout the industry, from the content owner through to the device manufacturer. Miniweb’s internet gateway and device agnostic services platform addresses necessary business and consumer needs for the delivery of internet video to TV devices. Its services platform manages the quality of the overall experience, and delivers centralized recommendations, search, payments and personalization for TV viewers. Device manufacturers and operators deploying the platform benefit from a next generation, connected TV proposition which provides much needed additional revenue streams.

“We’re pleased to include blinkx’s market leading video search, recommendations and personalization technology as a core function within our platform,” said Andrew Carver, CEO of Miniweb. “We’re seeing great interest from network operators, content owners and TV device manufacturers in our platform as it helps them deliver and manage the convergence of traditional broadcast programming with internet delivered video content. This is a very attractive proposition for viewers, allowing them to enjoy additional entertainment on the TV rather than a PC. This also will allow web-like business models to emerge on TV, which enables our business partners to benefit from valuable targeted advertising and revenue shares from TV viewer transactions.”

“Combining two best of breed technologies into a single TV services platform is definitely a case of the total consumer benefit being more than just the sum of the parts,” stated Ian Valentine, founder and chief architect at Miniweb Interactive. “We are very excited about being able to offer broadcasters, for example, the ability to recommend specific catch-up TV content based directly on the viewing context of their audience, or to enable devices serviced by our platform to gain access to multi-aggregator internet video search capabilities, enhanced by the personalization, community and localization capabilities of the Miniweb platform.”

As the pioneer in video search technology, blinkx has built a reputation as the smartest way to find rich media on the web. The company has made more than 450 partners and indexed over 35 million hours of video and audio content to date.