Rovi Corporation announced that Sainsbury’s will employ the Rovi Entertainment Store to power its new Over-the-Top (OTT) video service in the UK.
For more information visit: www.rovicorp.com ; www.sainsburysentertainment.co.uk
Unedited press release follows:
Rovi Enters Agreement with Sainsbury’s to Power New Digital Video Service
UK Retailer to Use Rovi Entertainment Store Technologies to Fuel the Growth of its Online Channel
SANTA CLARA, August 23, 2012 – Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI), driving digital entertainment innovation, today announced that Sainsbury’s, a leading supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, has licensed the Rovi Entertainment Store™ to power a new over-the-top video service. Expected to launch later this year, the movie storefront will reinforce Sainsbury’s online channel growth strategy and complement its rapidly expanding digital entertainment lineup which currently includes music and ebooks.
“Rovi was a natural choice to collaborate with for the launch of a Sainsbury’s digital video service given the company’s market expertise, long-standing industry relationships, and proven technology,” said Luke Jensen, Group Development Director, Sainsbury’s. “Moving into digital film is an exciting addition to our existing online offerings, and supports our customers as they progress from consuming content on physical disc to accessing their favourite entertainment on a range of devices, where and when they choose.”
Rovi Entertainment Store will enable Sainsbury’s to provide its customers convenient access to an extensive library of film and TV entertainment including new releases often on the same day they are available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc™. The service will initially be available online at Sainsbury’s Entertainment: (http://www.sainsburysentertainment.co.uk), and then expand to offer access through a range of connected devices including Smart TVs, Internet-connected Blu-ray Disc players, smartphones, and game consoles such as the PlayStation® 3, and Xbox 360™.
“Our agreement with Sainsbury’s is an important win for Rovi as we continue our efforts to expand our presence and influence in international markets,” said David Cook, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing and General Manager of Rovi Entertainment Store, Rovi. “Sainsbury’s is an ideal company to collaborate with as they have the marketing acumen, as well as the consumer reach and loyalty needed to be successful and help introduce new consumers to the convenience, quality, and flexibility of online video entertainment.”
Rovi Entertainment Store is enabling retailers, service providers, CE manufacturers, and content owners, to launch over-the-top storefronts that allow consumers to discover, purchase, manage, and enjoy a broad range of new movies and TV shows on multiple platforms and devices. Rovi Entertainment Store includes white-label storefronts and playback client SDKs, cloud services, an advanced adaptive streaming format – DivX Plus Streaming™ – as well as content licensing, management, and marketing services. The solution can be deployed as a complete end-to-end solution to support multiple aspects of storefront deployment and management, or as individual components that can be used to enhance an existing service.
About Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s was founded in 1869 and today operates over 1,000 stores, including 440 convenience stores and employs around 150,000 colleagues. The business puts customers at the heart of everything it does and has invested in its stores, personnel, and channels to deliver the best possible shopping experience.
About Rovi Corporation
Rovi powers the discovery, delivery, display and monetization of digital entertainment. With innovative technology solutions for consumer electronics manufacturers, service providers, content producers, advertisers, retailers and websites, Rovi connects people and the entertainment they love. The company holds approximately 5,200 issued or pending patents worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. More information about Rovi can be found at rovicorp.com.