MTV's mtvU has tapped broadband services company Roo Group to power the College Publisher network's video channels. Roo's customizable video players will now service mtvU's more than 500 online
college newspapers.
Each of the network's student-run publications will now have free access to a customizable, private-label video player, along with a variety of on-demand content
channels--including news, sports and entertainment from providers such as The Associated Press and Reuters.
The Roo content team will work closely with mtvU to develop and secure new original
video exclusively for the network. The Roo player will also enable the online student papers to distribute their own video content, or to partner with a university's TV station to make its programming
available worldwide.
The video players will be individually branded to reflect the look and feel of each college newspaper site, integrate seamlessly with a paper's online edition, and be powered
by the Roo Video Exchange platform.
Publications that install the plug-and-play applications will also be able to capitalize on a new video advertising revenue stream, according to Stephen
Friedman, general manager of mtvU.
"This video platform unlocks new creative possibilities and sources of revenue for our affiliates," said Friedman.
With the addition of online video, and
several other recently introduced multimedia features, mtvU also announced the renaming of College Publisher to the College Media Network.
Robert Petty, CEO of Roo, said meeting the demands of
young consumers is no easy task. "College students are probably the most discriminating, demanding and sophisticated consumers of video in the market today," he said. "They watch online video more
than any other group, and their expectations for content and technical quality are extraordinarily high."
Last August, mtvU acquired Y2M: Youth Media & Marketing Networks, the parent company of
College Publisher. Since the acquisition, the network has grown from 450 campus publications to 510, and now serves institutions with a combined enrollment of over 5.5 million students, reaching an
average of 5 million unique users each month.
Roo has established itself as a company to watch in the nascent broadband industry. Earlier this year, News Corp. agreed to purchase a 5% stake in
the company, and will potentially take another 5% in the near term.
Along with the mtvU deal, Roo has been pursuing expansion through partnership deals and acquisition. Earlier this year, the
company agreed to buy legal P2P service provider Wurld Media's assets for up to $10 million in cash and stock. The deal gave Roo's existing clients--including News Corp., Verizon and The
Street.com--access to a burgeoning pay-to-play market.