Corus Entertainment is pleased to announce its
launch plans for a new direct-to-family digital download service
TreehouseDirect. The storefront will allow for the purchase of single
episodes, bundles or full seasons of popular preschool programs.
“This initiative builds on Corus Entertainment’s focus on creating
exciting entertainment for children and families, allowing us to be everywhere
they access content,” said John Cassaday, Corus Entertainment President and
CEO. “TreehouseDirect offers our audiences the flexibility to customize and
personalize their experiences with our brands.”
Doug Murphy, Executive VP of Business Development for Nelvana added:
“Our plan is to be a global first-mover with this service, rolling out in
Canada initially, followed by other English-speaking countries and eventually
expanding to other languages. Backed by the parent-approved Treehouse brand
and stocked with family-friendly programming from Nelvana, we are offering
parents a safe, trusted place to explore new viewing platforms.”
The self-contained storefront site www.TreehouseDirect.com, powered by
software from Toronto-based ExtendMedia, will go live early this fall with a
link from the TreehouseTV.com network website. Links will allow parents to
jump from a show page on the Treehouse site to the TreehouseDirect downloads
for that particular show. ExtendMedia’s OpenCASE(TM) content service
management platform allows Corus to secure and distribute content, and scale
its TreehouseDirect offering to support rapidly expanded use as consumer
demand takes off.
The storefront will initially offer Nelvana-animated preschool favorites
Max & Ruby, Franklin, Miss Spider, Timothy Goes to School, Little Bear, Babar,
The Berenstain Bears and Rolie Polie Olie. Pricing will reflect the value of
content ownership – once you’ve downloaded an episode, it’s yours – over
single-use, or time-restricted rentals to protect the Company’s cable
video-on-demand partnerships. New episodes and series will be added to the
site’s inventory once the full season has aired on broadcast and specials will
be added shortly following the TV airdate.
TreehouseDirect will be Viiv-verified by Intel, ensuring its
compatibility with the new generation of digital home entertainment devices
coming to market. The service will also support the launch of new Corus
Entertainment series through promotions and sneak peeks as part of the
Company’s integrated multiplatform launch strategy.
Corus’ forward-looking plans for TreehouseDirect include: potential
partnerships with content aggregators, internet portals, BDUs and telcos; the
inclusion of additional online product sales like music, games and consumer
products; and applying the model to other Corus Entertainment brands such as
YTV, W Network and CMT Canada.
