Babelgum Internet TV Network Delivers Niche Programming to the World

Babelgum Internet TV Network Delivers Niche Programming to the World

New Beta Opens to the Public

NEW YORK, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Babelgum (www.babelgum.com), the new generation global Internet TV network, today announced the phased opening of the service to users around the world.

Babelgum is designed to deliver quality programming to niche audiences globally. The thousands of people that pre-registered their interest with Babelgum are now being provided with access. New Babelgum members and the original beta testers can download a revised and enhanced Babelgum client application that offers a fully interactive and immersive experience.

A capped number of free downloads is available daily from the Babelgum website on a first-come, first-served basis. All users can also invite as many friends and colleagues as they like to join them on Babelgum, and over the next few weeks the number of users will steadily increase.

Silvio Scaglia, Babelgum's chairman and co-founder commented, "Today we have proven that the Internet can be used as a global distribution network for TV quality video. The convergence of broadcast and web technologies opens new opportunities for our content partners and offers a personalised experience to each of our users.

"Babelgum has no ties to individual content owners and distributors and as a result our editorial strategy is primarily 'user-centric'. That strategy ensures the platform satisfies the needs of a potentially infinite number of niche audiences around the world. By validating and aggregating the best material from a wide range of independent and mainstream content owners, Babelgum aims to encourage common interest communities that are not well served by traditional television."

Babelgum's innovative peer-to-peer (P2P) technology enables a theoretically unlimited library of content to be delivered to millions of users worldwide - anyone with a PC and broadband Internet connection. Access is free to the user and will be funded by advertising in the future.

Content on Babelgum is accessed via an initial nine core channels, organized by genre, that then provide access to hundreds of hours of broadcast-quality material from both niche and mainstream programmers. But more importantly, every user will be able to create individual thematic "smart channels", which automatically generate programming according to personal interests and tastes. Recorded preferences can be overridden by browsing channel genres and searching for specific content.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Babelgum

CONTACT: Wilson Cleveland, or Louisa Gamon, or Paul Konz, all of Cubitt
Jacobs & Prosek - Babelgum's US Press Office, +001 212 279 3115, or
wcleveland@cjpcom.com; or Andrea Giannotti, mobile, +39 347 3555096, or
andrea.giannotti@babelgum.com, or Stefania Valenti, mobile, +39 348 7396367,
or stefania.valenti@babelgum.com, both of Babelgum's Press Office

Web site:

http://www.babelgum.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: About Babelgum Babelgum is the commercial brand for the global Internet TV network developed by Babel Networks. Babelgum uses peer-to-peer technology to provide the immersive viewing and high resolution of traditional TV with the interactive capabilities of the Internet. Babelgum allows users to enjoy free, on-demand and personalized channels. Using niche to mainstream content, users create their own TV channels. Instead of user-generated clips, Babelgum features professional video material on a broad range of topics from lifestyle to sports. Founded in 2005, Babel Networks is a privately held company, with headquarters in Ireland and offices in Italy, the UK, the US and France.

www.babelgum.com

Primary channel genres Babel Picks Our selection of the newest, most exciting, entertaining and interesting content from the hundreds of hours of professionally produced material on Babelgum. News A real-time overview of current affairs covering major events as they unfold, captured daily by the leading press agencies. Trends Trendsetters, cool hunters, fashion victims. A parade of what's new, what's going to be new and what is immortal in fashion, social trends and design. Music Watch living legends and emerging artists in live performances and classic videos, or catch up with all the news and gossip with backstage interviews, artist profiles and previously unreleased tour footage. Sport From the best goals ever to the latest tricks on the extreme circuit, Babelgum brings together the classic and the cutting-edge to please traditionalists and radicals alike. Documentaries Our documentaries provide a window on the world. Nature, adventure, science, technology... we've got programmes on every subject from all over the planet to inform and entertain you. Lifestyle Everything to do with home, health and happiness. We've got fitness videos to get you into shape, ideas on design and decoration to get your house into shape, and when you feel like relaxing, we've got tips on the best food and wine from around the world. Animation Classic cartoons and modern manga bring this animated channel to life. Watch your favourite characters and discover new ones from little-known independent producers. Fiction From classic movies to legendary TV shows and avant-garde short films, we have a huge range of entertainment to suit every taste and mood.

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