In a bold move that signals a significant shift in how traditional broadcasting content is distributed in the United States, NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc. (NCMA), a subsidiary of NHK, introduces “Jme”, a new direct-to-consumer over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting service.
Through its 24-hour premium Japanese language channel, "TV JAPAN," the Japanese population in the United States and Canada is offered quality news, dramas, and current affairs programming, accessible in the US through additional tiers offered by cable and satellite providers.
However, mirroring the global trend towards digital consumption, NCMA is pivoting away from the traditional cable carriage deals. On April 1, a new video streaming service, "Jme," will commence, accessible on internet-connected devices. Launching an OTT broadcasting service is a landmark event, marking NCMA's transition to a digital-first and digital-only strategy. The service will include 3 TV Linear Channels and Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) content.
At the heart of this transformation is the deployment of the Vimond VIA OTT platform for content management, orchestration, and monetization, seamlessly integrated with technology partners such as Accedo and Edgio.
"The project for NCMA marks a milestone in shifting from linear to digital-first and digital-only for traditional broadcast content. The “Jme” service now provides linear content directly to their viewers, without going through the traditional carriage, which is a huge disruption in the traditional distribution models," said Stein-Erik Sørhaug, SVP AMECS at Vimond.
He adds:
"This direct-to-consumer model allows NCMA to offer a blend of traditional and SVOD content, along with personalized linear channels, directly to their audience."
Vimond attends this year's NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 14-17, exhibiting in the South Lower hall, booth SL2124.
NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc. operates “Jme”, a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) Linear TV channels + SVOD service, available through select app marketplaces on mobile and TV devices to service the Japanese and Japanese-American communities across the US and Canada. With a commitment to cater to the diverse entertainment needs, “Jme” presents 3 distinct TV channels; Jme SELECT & NHK WORLD PREMIUM in Japanese and NHK WORLD-JAPAN in English with a VOD library of popular television shows and movie titles. NCMA has operated the “TV JAPAN” channel, a 24/7 Japanese-language premium TV offering for the past 33 years pivoting from traditional affiliate distribution to embrace the dynamic landscape of DTC offerings. NCMA is dedicated to providing a myriad of services, including live channel distribution, video-on-demand, television productions, and live event broadcast services. For more information, visit https://en.nhkcosmomedia.com/.
Vimond offers a comprehensive video content management system that allows broadcasters, telcos, and other content holders to easily ingest, manage, and distribute their video library to their streaming service. Vimond VIA is used by customers such as Comcast, Thomson Reuters, TV 2, TV4, Streamotion, Telstra, and many other global broadcasters and streaming services. Learn more about Vimond VIA at https://www.vimond.com/products/vimond-via-cms