Internet users can now watch full screen video news thanks to the new, advanced FlipCast player from Flip Media and AME Info. The second generation of the entirely Flash-based online video streaming player also allows users to scroll backwards and forwards through a story, and search for related news content. As online advertising continues to grow rapidly, the FlipCast player is the ideal platform for taking television ads to the Internet.
FlipCast version 2 was created by the wunderkinds at Flip Media and follows on from their original broadband streaming video player, FlipCast, which was released in 2002. At the time, Flip Media and AME Info pioneered and launched the region's first streaming broadband video platform for the Internet, with exclusive video business news features and interviews.
The key differentiation of 'Flip Cast' to all other players is its platform and browser independency, combined with the high penetration of Flash as the main plug-in used: Macromedia Flash 6 players have so far reached 97% market penetration and the latest version has succeeded with 73% market share globally. This means that FlipCast can be easily and effortlessly viewed by a larger percentage of the region's online population than any other streaming broadband video product.
Martin Diessner, CEO, Flip Media explains: "FlipCast, in its second version, opens another channel for online advertising. Traditional television commercials can be pre-launched online, taking into account click and view responses before airing the spot on TV."
Dinesh Lalvani, Creative Director and founder of Flip Media adds, "Flipcast is a first in many ways. A first for a product of this nature to be developed in the Middle East: a truly cross-platform video system without the pitfalls associated with other online video technologies and without having to wait for a long download. It is also a first as a pure online branding exercise, with full skinning capabilities, to adapt to the brand's look and feel. All this integrated with a robust archival and advertising back-end system which makes this product very unique, useful and above all entertaining. This is convergence at its finest."
"It's vital to be able to show online video in a way that is user-friendly, but also provides a range of options for advertisers," says Lisa Creffield, Exec VP Broadcast, AME Info FZ LLC. "Flip's innovative technologies have helped us create exciting new products, like the broadband video section as well as out-of-the-box advertising products."
