Cinedigm Announces matchpoint™, a Next-Generation OTT and Content Distribution Platform

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By STS News Desk On Dec 7, 2018

Cinedigm Announces matchpoint™, a Next-Generation OTT and Content Distribution Platform

The matchpoint managed-service greatly reduces CapEx and OpEx costs with innovative modules to handle app deployments, content distribution, analytics and reporting, customer management, and more

Cinedigm announced plans to launch matchpoint™, an innovative managed-service technology platform that enables content distributors, OTT service operators, web publishers, and OEMs to efficiently and cost-effectively create compelling OTT and media subscription services. matchpoint will be offered at competitive pricing to suit the unique needs of potential customers, and will be available for preview at the upcoming CES conference in Las Vegas at The Mirage Hotel from 08 January 2019.

Key features of the platform include:

Modern, intuitive OTT applications – recently redesigned for clean aesthetics and high usability, the matchpoint Blueprint™ app development platform provides rapid development and cost-efficient cross-platform applications with robust consumer features including integrated billing, configurable on-boarding, custom watch lists, in-app notifications and alerts, machine learning-based recommendations, single sign-on (SSO), DRM, and more. For examples of consumer-facing applications, visit Cinedigm’s digital-first channel CONtv on the web, on iOS, and/or on Android.
Support for mixed-media content types – Consumers demand enhanced value from their OTT services, and matchpoint takes this to the next level with robust support for non-video media, including music, streaming audio, linear video channels, podcasts, audiobooks, eBooks, digital comics, magazines, and more. Cinedigm plans to announce category partners in the near future, enabling operators to quickly curate and add content from a variety of digital media partners.
Support for third-party distribution – Today, most OTT platforms focus solely on direct-to-consumer distribution via apps. However, the fastest growing segment of the business is distributing channels into third-party ecosystems like Amazon Channels and virtual MVPDs. The matchpoint™ Dispatch distribution platform enables content owners to distribute their content quickly and easily through a cloud-based order management system, with planned support for more than 80 distribution outlets. This feature dramatically streamlines workflows while simultaneously reducing third-party distribution costs by up to 80 percent.
World-class systems analytics – the matchpoint Insights™ platform provides robust, world-class analytics and monitoring services at a device level including:° Content consumption and content performance analysis
°  Subscriber growth management along with churn prediction & cohort analysis
°  Marketing performance & attribution management
°  User engagement & user retention tracking
°  Territorial & device penetration analysis
°  Ad fill rates & ad performance monitoring
°  Customer service & ticket management
°  Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring, including error handling, stream buffering, playback error tracking, and more

Modular, customizable platform – With a modern, open API-based architecture, the matchpoint system is designed to work seamlessly with a variety of technology vendors and partners, enabling customers to integrate with their existing enterprise systems or best-of-breed eco-system vendors. Cinedigm will be announcing key partners for our preferred vendor program in the near future.

In development for over four years, matchpoint currently serves as the platform for the management and operation of Cinedigm’s growing portfolio of OTT channels. Additionally, the company recently utilized the matchpoint Dispatch™ distribution module to automate the delivery of over 5,000 hours of digital programming to third-party partners, including the launch of Dove Channel on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 platform, which resulted in a 93 percent cost savings and completion of delivery in less than a third of the time it would have taken with third-party vendors.

“From the rise of third-party distribution to the evolving needs of consumers, the OTT space looks very different than it did three years ago,” said Erick Opeka, President of Cinedigm Networks. “However, most vendors have not been able to keep pace with these innovative developments. We created the matchpoint platform to address the key challenge facing the OTT space—creating a product that is cost effective and at the same time efficient in delivering great content experiences globally on any platform—be it an app, virtual vMVPD, or third-party ecosystem.”

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“With the introduction of matchpoint, we are now able to more effectively and easily meet the growing demands of the OTT business,” Opeka continued. “Additionally, we have significantly decreased our time-to-market output, while reducing the many challenges that arise with the digital distribution of multiple types of media through automation—providing fast deployment and extensive support for a wide variety of media and mediums.”

Cinedigm Business Impact
matchpoint™ will be commercially available to customers beginning in fiscal calendar Q1, 2019. The company expects to generate revenues from app development and recurring SaaS fees upon signing of customers and deployment of their services, beginning in second quarter of calendar 2019. The company also expects to realize substantial OpEx savings from the utilization of the matchpoint distribution capabilities in other areas of Cinedigm’s distribution business.