Broadcast transmission specialists Arqiva have confirmed former Eurosport UK MD Pierre-Jean Sebert as the CEO of its new VOD division, as the company continues preparing a consumer-facing long-form video site based on the technology behind the failed Project Kangaroo JV. The company also announces that it has officially completed the acquisition of the Kangaroo hardware, software and related IP from BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and ITV (LSE: ITV). The price hasn’t been disclosed but a Guardian.co.uk report put it at the £8 million mark.
Sebert’s appointment was reported (but not confirmed) last month. He was MD of Eurosport UK from 2001 to 2005 and has since worked as an advisor to Virgin Media (NSDQ: VMED), UEFA and UKTV; his LinkedIn page lists him as director of two companies, Reel Enterprises and Bien VU Media. His job now is to win over broadcasters and independent producers, create a profitable, hybrid freemium model for long-form TV content and win market share in an increasingly crowded market. No small feat.
No more details on when we can expect this VOD product to launch or even what it will be called, save that it will “host top-end, quality content from leading broadcasters and independent content providers with both free-to-air and pay-content propositions”. However, Sebert says in the release that the project has “already made significant progress with our consumer proposition, both in terms of user experience and content acquisition.” We asked Arqiva to clarify just what content has been signed up, but a spokesman said that content deals are in place but it couldn’t discuss them right now.

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