Cennarium signs connected device deal with Samsung Brazil

Following its successful launch, Cennarium, dubbed as the world's first global performing arts streaming service, has secured a deal with Samsung to provide its OTT service to a projected 136 million of the technology giant's connected devices in Brazil.

Cennarium is a new global performing arts streaming service offering an exclusive selection of more than 20 live recorded plays, operettas, music and dance from around the world. The unique range of content is available both direct to consumers via its proprietary online platform, and SVoD, where new performances will be added each month, as well as to linear broadcasters, SVoD and VoD platforms as individual titles.

Having inked its first ever international deal, Cennarium will now be on offer to all Samsung customers (tablet, TV and phone) in Brazil via the innovative Moony app, positioning the digital start-up as a leading provider of cultural arts programming. Cennarium was handpicked by Samsung as one of the first platforms to be made available on Moony, Samsung's own streaming service that provides niche content from a diverse range of content providers. Currently available in a beta version, the app is now available in Brazil with a projected rollout across Latin America in January 2015.

For the theatre groups from around the world represented on the Cennarium channel, the Cennarium/Samsung deal expands each theatre's audience for these outstanding performances beyond any geographic limitations the theatre may have, to reach a potential fan base of hundreds of millions.

Announcing the deal, Gulu Monteiro, managing artistic and commercial director, Cennarium, said: We are delighted to partner with Samsung, one of the world leaders in connected TVs, tablets and smartphones, on our first ever distribution deal and offering Cennarium's exclusive content to an expansive new audience. This is exactly the type of innovative deal we have been looking to secure, enabling us to bring our world-class performing arts programming to a new, global audience.

Marcelo Mattar, head of Video, Samsung Latin America, added: Samsung's Moony app aims to offer exclusive, world-class, niche content and Cennarium fits perfectly into this category. Moony is the first app from Samsung with a hub of channels targeting education, art, entertainment and music, and we were so impressed by Cennarium's originality and innovation that we knew its content was ideal for our new digital offering.

Cennarium taps into a number of trends in the international TV market. Not only is the company able to meet the increasing demand from viewers for broadcasters to offer a diverse range of programming but also the growing trend of live event content. Through innovative deals with performers, theatre companies and venues, the digital start-up is in the unique position to be able to offer content to broadcasters without binding rights restrictions on territories.

Some of the exclusive performances on offer on Cennarium's platform include live HD recordings of a Russian production of Chekov's Three Sisters, Flamenco dancer's La Moneta spectacle and innovative German operetta The Circus Princess. All performances are filmed live with the latest technology and subtitled in English. The content on Cennarium's platform will also evolve to include additional territories culturally specific artistic performances.

Cennarium's deal with Samsung comes at a time when connected TV ownership is reaching record levels. According to research conducted by StrategyAnalytics, global ownership of connected TV devices in 2014 including smart TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and digital media streamers has hit 500 million units. The research firm said that the half billion milestone marks a 34 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2013.*

The digital start-up is also currently in advanced talks with some of the biggest names in the performing arts world from the UK, Russia and the US to bring new titles to the platform.

* Taken from www.tbivision.com, 3 October 2014

www.content.cennarium.com

This story also appears on IBC's Content Everywhere.

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