Ooyala seeks to boost Wimbledon’s VOD reach

Online video technology company Ooyala is partnering with the All England Lawn Tennis Club to broaden distribution of video content from the Wimbledon tennis championships, which began on Monday.

Ooyala is delivering daily video-on-demand content featuring highlights from each day’s matches, interviews and special features. The content will be served up on the official Wimbledon website, allowing access via PC, iOS and Android devices.

Wimbledon is using Ooyala’s video monetisation tools to promote tournament sponsors, including Rolex and Evian, within the video player. The company said it had been selected by the AELTC in part due to its “market-leading position in delivering analytics, including the ability to track and measure viewer engagement across all devices.”

Caitlin Spaan, vice-president of marketing for Ooyala, said: “The lines between broadcast and broadband are blurring as TV evolves into a mobile, multiscreen experience. Ooyala is proud to be part of this historic event, delivering some of the most exciting sports video of the year to a global audience. We’re committed to delivering the most powerful, personalised viewing experience possible, no matter what screen people use to keep up with the Championship.”

The AELTC last month agreed a deal with video sharing website Dailymotion to stream live content from Wimbledon. The exclusive partnership included the launch of the Live@Wimbledon service, which blends live tennis with off-court news. The AELTC is using Dailymotion’s technology platform to deliver this content on wimbledon.com and the championships’ official mobile apps, as well as on Dailymotion. The digital arm of the IMG Media agency is producing the output for Live@Wimbledon. It is available to users only in the UK and the Americas, with the exception of Brazil, for the 2012 championships.