Midsize operator Atlantic Broadband had deployed the Internet-to-video-on-demand system from startup Clearleap to offer local events as well as Internet video content to digital cable subscribers on VOD.
"We view local on-demand really as a marketing program for us, as a way to build awareness of and usage of our VOD platform and to tap into word-of-mouth marketing," said David Isenberg, Atlantic Broadband's vice president of products.
Atlantic Broadband initially has deployed the Clearleap system in its two largest systems, Johnstown, Pa., and Miami Beach, Fla., representing a total of 75,000 digital cable subscribers.
The cable operator planned to upload video from its first major local event: "Thunder in the Valley" in Johnstown, described as a family-friendly biker rally, which took place June 25-28. http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/thunderinthevalley
Atlantic Broadband also will provide selection of 60 to 70 short-form clips from Revision3 and Next New Networks, through agreements those companies signed with Clearleap.
Isenberg said the deployment of Clearleap's Internet-based VOD catcher took Atlantic Broadband's most junior engineer only half a day to install. "It's drop-dead simple to use," he said.
Clearleap said it has signed deals for its systems with five cable and IPTV operators since late 2008, representing a total of 16 markets, including Charlotte, N.C., and suburban Atlanta. The company has received funding from Silicon Valley Bank, Trinity Ventures, Noro-Moseley and longtime cable-tech executive Jim Chiddix.
Atlantic Broadband, the fifteenth-largest cable operator in the U.S., is based in Quincy, Mass. The company has 286,000 customers in four operating regions: central Pennsylvania, Miami Beach, Maryland/Delaware, and Aiken, S.C.
