The emerging markets are unbelievably large, this is the area where Warpware could have most impact.
Vuclip Mobile App
Smart Inside. Elegant Outside.
Our Vuclip app for Android is powered by our patent-pending Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding™ technology, which is responsible for delivering unbuffered mobile video experiences regardless of device type or network reliability. The Vuclip App offers an exhilarating experience based on a simple yet powerful thought: "Smart inside, Elegant outside." The smart technology instantly recognizes a user's content preference based on their region, past viewing habits, device, and network capabilities. The elegant outside delivers an enjoyable, buffer-free experience, with intuitive search and smooth navigation, letting the user enjoy the content without needing to understand the technology required for this great user experience.
PCCW bought a major stake in Vuclip in March 2015
The Hong Kong company was also impressed with Vuclip’s technology. Streaming video from the Internet can result in transmission delays, ruining a viewer’s experience. Jakatdar’s co-founder, computer scientist Bo Shen, developed technology that allows large amounts of data, like full-length movies, to download without creating delays or buffering. While networks are much faster now, they still have to cope with ever increasing loads of data.
Jakatdar founded Vuclip in 2008. An electrical engineer from the University of California, Berkeley, he had already sold three semiconductor chips start-ups, before turning his attention to entertainment. Growing up in India, he knew that even people with limited means, were willing to shell out $2 at a movie theater to escape the daily grind.
From the start, he set his sights on emerging markets, such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where cheaper mobile phones, such as Nokia, had a stronger presence than desktop computers. He raised $40 million from U.S. venture capitalists, and the venture arm of Singtel, Singapore’s telecom company.
Armed with that market data, Jakatdar started knocking on the doors of Arab media companies, hoping to build his content, away from just home-made cat videos and soccer clips. “We said, ‘look here’s what users seem to care about your content--this drama, and these artists; what’s resonating, and what’s not,’” says Jakatdar. “[We] had valuable insights we could go with to the studios.”
It took MBC Group one year before agreeing in 2014 to provide premium content. In a press statement, MBC acknowledged that mobile is “fast becoming a platform of choice for viewers.” In April, the companies expanded their partnership. Vuclip subscribers can now watch on their phones MBC’s highly popular shows, Arabs Got Talent, Arab Idol, The Voice and the X-Factor.
Melody Entertainment also signed on, giving access to its artists, including Nancy Ajram, Serene Abdelnour, and Khaled Saleh. So has Egyptian company Mazzika Group, which has a library of 10,000 songs. Jakatdar says he splits money generated from ads and subscription fees with content partners.
http://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/en/news/read/2015/resizing-the-silver-screen/articleid/9110
http://www.vuclip.com/images/GVI/Fortune_India_January.pdf
A Forbes article from 2011 discussing the scale of mobile in the emerging markets
Entertainment is where Airtel wants to extend its lead of being the largest music store in India to video-based offerings. The company is wary of revealing details, but officials say they are evaluating video-based, exclusive content. One possibility: Manchester United soccer matches beamed only on Airtel’s 3G network.
A good way to understand the scale of what Airtel is attempting is to travel across the countries where it now operates. Airtel’s markets now spread from Sierra Leone on Africa’s west coast to Madagascar, off the eastern coast of the African continent. A flight from Sierra Leone to Bharti’s Africa headquarters in Nairobi takes 10 hours. It is a $6 billion business with 41 million users.
“may need to make additional investments to upgrade/expand networks, and license renewals due in five countries by 2013.” Indeed, Bharti will spend $800 million to strengthen its Africa position this year.
Bharti now targets 100 million users and $5 billion in revenue by 2013. In the quarter ending last September, it reported $3.5 billion in revenue with 40.1 million subscribers, up from 36.3 million in the first three months of operations.
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