Whilst it would be nice to sit back and enjoy the much awaited sunshine that has hit London this week, it seems the madness of NAB has managed to find its way into PayWizard HQ. Although the last couple of weeks have been just as busy as the Las Vegas Convention Center lobby, I wanted to share what I brought back from this year’s NAB show- other than the usual tacky fridge magnet.

With over 92,000 attendees, the 2013 show was one of the busiest ever. We saw the rise of 4K, the fall of 3D, and a break-out of the cloud (not just in workflows, but weather too!) Moving away from last year’s buzz word social TV, this year was all about the second screen and the power of content.

In an interview with Ooyala at NAB, Jamie Mackinlay, Commercial Director at PayWizard has an informative discussion on how PayWizard uses actionable data to help leading broadcasters and networks take four screen monetization to the next level.

PayWizard will be joining the who’s who of the global connected entertainment industry next week in London for TV Connect (formerly IP&TV World Forum). The show, which takes place from 19- 21 March, will see broadcasters, telcos, content providers and service providers from across the globe showcase their technologies and explore the opportunities today’s connected world presents.

Integrates Payment and Subscription services under PayWizard brand

London, 21 February 2013 – PayWizard, specialists in payment and subscription management, has launched the TV and media industry’s first dedicated, end to end payment and subscription solution. The integrated solution brings together a strong heritage in the Pay-TV market with a deep understanding of the challenges TV operators and media companies face in monetising the multiplatform world.

Using its award-winning modular Payment and Subscription platform, PayWizard combines payment processing, intelligent subscriber management technology and real-time customer service operations to tailor-make solutions that enhance the consumer experience across all screens.

PayWizard has attended DCM Europe in London to discuss the consumption of content on multiple devices. The conference, brought together industry professionals from across the globe to discuss the impact innovative technologies will have on the growth of digital content in today’s multiscreen world.

Jamie Mackinlay, Commercial Director, PayWizard took to a panel on Day 2 to explore the challenges and opportunities the multiscreen industry presents for content owners. As video-enabled devices really take off, it is becoming increasingly important to create solutions that deliver compelling consumer experiences across all screens. Jamie highlighted the importance of varied business models and the role of both ad funded and direct payment models to maximize audience reach and drive the monetization of content.

Source: http://www.beet.tv/2012/10/paywizard.html

PayWizard, Easel TV, and Ooyala Win Award for Best Native App for Connected TV at IBC2012

All3Media Connected TV App beats BBC iPlayer for Prestigious Award at the Global Broadcast Industry’s Largest Annual Gathering

The partnership between Easel TV, the Connected TV specialists, Ooyala, the fastest growing online video company and PayWizard, the innovative provider of payment solutions to the digital TV industry was rewarded with the prize for the Best Native App for Connected TV for the All3Media app at the ConnectedWorld.TV awards at IBC2012 this week in Amsterdam.

Oberhausen, September 6, 2012 − ACCESS CO., LTD, a global provider of advanced software solutions to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, today announced that its ACCESSMyTV™ social TV and over-the-top platform is to launch in Germany early in 2013. ACCESS has selected the PayWizard payment and subscription platform to offer a suite of monetization capabilities to merchants offering content to consumers using the ACCESSMyTV social TV service. Available in German retail outlets from Q1 2013, ACCESSMyTV will be demonstrated at IBC on the ACCESS (14.103) exhibition stand.

The ACCESSMyTV service supported by PayWizard enables German consumers to watch and interact with terrestrial TV, enjoy paid and free OTT content and build their own personal TV OTT web video channels. Consumers can take advantage of PayWizard’s secure, PCI compliant, multicurrency, multi-device applications and single sign-on billing engine so that initially subscriptions, and subsequently Premium Content can be bought from any provider with a secure 4 digit PIN - enabling consumers to view content through ACCESSMyTV on any internet connected device, at a time that suits them.

London, 11 June 2012 - PYXmarkets, a new and innovative, digital options trading platform, has chosen the branded PayWizard® e-wallet as its exclusive online payment mechanism. Launched today, PYXmarkets will offer retail and professional traders digital option trading opportunities on some of the world’s most liquid assets, including: UK 100, Barclays, BP, Gold, OIL and USD/GBP.

PYXmarkets chose to enter into an exclusive relationship with PayWizard because the e-wallet provides traders with a secure, flexible, ‘one-click’, digital payment mechanism while PayWizard’s management information dashboards gives PYXmarkets the ability to view traders’ transaction behaviour in real-time. This provides PYXmarkets with a valuable tool for targeting traders immediately with relevant iinformation and promotions, to improve customer loyalty and optimise ARPU (average revenue per user).

Solution offers digital media publishers a clear path to success with paid video content across PCs, mobile devices, and connected TVs

This week at the NAB show in Las Vegas Brightcove, a leading global provider of cloud content services, today unveiled its Video Paywall Solution Framework. The solution framework accelerates the introduction of paid video content services for media publishers by combining the scale, reliability and multi-screen reach of the Brightcove Video Cloud online video platform with best-in-class subscription management, payment processing, digital rights management (DRM) and content protection technologies, including Adobe Flash Access, Google Widevine, PayWizard, and TinyPass.

LONDON - March 19, 2011 – Independent producer to go direct to consumers with service offering hits including The Only Way is Essex.

The UK's largest independent producer is set to shake up the video-on-demand market by allowing viewers to bypass services such as LoveFilm and Netflix and catch hits including Shameless and The Only Way is Essex via its TV app. All3Media, producer of Skins, Midsomer Murders, The Cube and Peep Show, has struck a deal to launch a video-on-demand app on internet-connected Samsung and LG smart TVs. The company believes it is the first UK indie to go direct to consumers with a TV service, which will launch in the UK this week and in the US within the next month.

LONDON

• Winners announced at CeBIT today
• PayWizard awarded the highest accolade from the EMF and announced as Platinum Winners of the European Seal of e-Excellence

Innovative multi-screen payment platform PayWizard® has been awarded the Platinum European Seal of e-Excellence 2012 by the EMF (Forum of e-Excellence) and its partner associations in a ceremony today at CeBIT.

Held annually, the prestigious global awards ceremony honours ICT and digital media companies with an excellent track record in innovative marketing. The European Seal of e-Excellence is widely known for promoting companies in the digital field that develop innovative products and services coupled with excellent marketing practices to promote them.

LONDON - December 12, 2011 – FilmFlex Movies has introduced PayWizard^® again as an online payment mechanism for the online film service from HMV, the UK’s leading specialist retailer of filmed entertainment games, music and portable digital technology products.

Highlights:

• hmvon-demand powered by FilmFlex is the latest content retailer to benefit from the PayWizard e-wallet as a payment option for customers of its digital films service
• PayWizard enables single-click payments, which means viewers can quickly purchase and begin enjoying content via the hmvon-demand website, which is being marketed initially to HMV’s purehmv rewards scheme members
• Using the PayWizard unique dual registration, customers will be able to create a PayWizard account online and sign-up to the hmvon-demand service in one easy step
• PayWizard manages multiple subscription models, as well as micropayments, securely and cost-effectively

PayWizard has launched their Android application to view transactions and make payments. The iPhone app has also launched! The PayWizard Android app is just what you need to manage your PayWizard transactions. You can top up your PayWizard account and view recent transactions. Simply register or log in to get started. PayWizard is a multi-screen payment platform that supports single-click payments online, through your mobile, on your tablet device and even through your TV!

CANNES - October 4, 2011 - MIPCOM Stand C1.09 - BoxNation, the UK’s first live dedicated boxing channel, has chosen PayWizard as its online payment mechanism. Launched last month, and supported by boxing promoter Frank Warren, BoxNation is currently free-to-air (Sky Platform Channel 456); it will convert to a subscription channel before the end of the year and will cost £10 per month.

Highlights:

• Newly launched specialist LIVE boxing TV channel BoxNation has chosen PayWizard to manage its £10 a month subscription service
• During the initial free-to-air launch period, PayWizard is handling customer pre-registrations on the BoxNation website
• Using PayWizard’s unique dual registration, customers will be able to create a PayWizard account online and subscribe to the BoxNation service in one easy step
• PayWizard manages multiple subscription models, as well as micropayments, securely and cost-effectively

PayWizard has launched their iPhone/iPad application to view transactions and make payments. The Android app is also in development! The PayWizard mobile app is just what you need to manage your PayWizard transactions. You can top up your PayWizard account and view recent transactions. Simply register or log in to get started. PayWizard is a multi-screen payment platform that supports single-click payments online, through your mobile, on your tablet device and even through your TV!

AMSTERDAM – IBC 2011 Stand 13.185 - PayWizard, the innovative provider of payment solutions to the digital TV industry, is adding a voucher capability and free account-to-account transfers to the already highly functional PayWizard® payment and monetisation platform.

Highlights:

• New voucher capability enables pay-as-you-go, promotions and gifting, thereby offering new multi-device sales opportunities and increasing the potential addressable market for content owners and service providers
• Free account-to-account transfers, and PayWizard’s recently announced account management app for Samsung connected TVs, will make buying content and managing payments on all devices easy for viewers
• PayWizard’s ongoing innovation demonstrates its commitment to improving the consumer experience, delivering a payment mechanism that fits with all lifestyles

LONDON - FilmFlex Movies, the provider of the online movie service used by Film4oD, has added PayWizard as an online payment mechanism. The first deployment of the PayWizard e-wallet is now live on the Film4oD website. FilmFlex Movies is the sixth customer to deploy the PayWizard platform since the beginning of the year; existing customers include Racing UK (Android/iPhone apps) and Omnimotion (online gaming). A number of as-yet unannounced customer contracts are slated for deployment during Q4 2011.

Highlights:

• FilmFlex Movies has chosen the PayWizard e-wallet as a payment option for customers of its online movie services
• The PayWizard e-wallet is now live on the Film4oD website, which is powered by FilmFlex Movies
• Single-click payments mean movie fans are able to quickly purchase and begin viewing content from the Film4oD website
• Deployment is the sixth win for PayWizard this year

PayWizard, the innovative provider of payment solutions to the digital TV industry, announces the launch of its Samsung connected TV app. The new app increases the number and types of devices on which PayWizard customers can manage their balance, top-ups and transactions – all in a quick, simple and secure interface.

Highlights:

• World’s first payment service app on Samsung connected TVs launched by PayWizard
• Simple and easy-to-use account management, top-ups, transaction views and self-service capabilities
• First step towards launching PayWizard account management apps on other connected TVs, tablets and smartphones

PayWizard has been nominated for an innovation award in the upcoming CSI product awards in September to be presented at IBC in Amsterdam.

The CSI Awards 2011 originally established in 2003 are now in their ninth year and have become one of the most comprehensive and competitive technology awards anywhere in the world, designed to reward technical and product marketing excellence in the cable, satellite, terrestrial broadcasting, IPTV, online/internet video and mobile TV sectors.

By Stephen Petheram, Marketing Director, PayWizard

Commercial broadcasters are facing some tough decisions as volatile advertising revenues are exacerbated by the proliferation of new entrants into the digital TV market and the surge in multi-screen viewing. In order to thrive long-term, they need to take steps to deepen their engagement with audiences and plug the advertising shortfall with sophisticated, multi-screen, user-addressed business models.

The stakes are high. Some industry commentators have stated that commercial broadcasters risk securing only half of their potential revenue if multi-device strategies are not effectively monetised. Simultaneous viewing of content on companion devices is becoming the norm and engaging audiences away from the ad-funded content on their TV sets and asking them to pay for the privilege is a financial necessity. The challenge is to do it in a way that will work long-term.

Broadcast Digital Awards - Wednesday 15th June 2011 - London Hilton, Park Lane 

Stephen Petheram, Marketing Director of PayWizard (pictured far right) presented the award for:

'Best Multiplatform Project'

PayWizard would especially like to congratulate the winner of this award:

Fish Fight, Keo Films for Channel 4

The nominees for the award were:

• Battlefront II, Raw TV/ Airlock for Channel 4
• Fish Fight, Keo Films for Channel 4
• A History of the World, BBC Audio & Music Interactive
• The Million Pound Drop Live (play-along game), Endemol / Monterosa for Channel 4
• Misfits series 2, Clerkenwell Productions / Kerb for Channel 4
• The X Factor website 2010, TalkbackTHAMES Digital for ITV

The beautiful game-changer. The worlds of broadcast technology are horribly fond of cliches. The word 'game-changer' has, sadly, fallen into this category, used often to totally overhype technology that plainly fails to meet expectation. Apple's iPad can certainly not be added to this category.

Making money from documentaries is no easy task, but there are some business models that are generating revenues online.

The volume of broadcast-quality, long-form documentary content available online is growing, fast. But despite the array of platforms, aggregation services and websites that are eager to work with content creators, many documentary-makers are still struggling to effectively monetise this growing internet audience.

"It's Armageddon, culturally," documentary-maker Ben Lewis, whose credits include Art Safari, says. "At a time when broadcasters are spending and scheduling less, there's still no clear way of making money online; platforms hold on to most of the revenue, aggregators' fees are sky high, and what money you do make is nowhere near enough to fund your next film," he explains.

Broadcast is the UK's leading publication featuring TV industry news, data, comment and analysis. This award will go to the best multiplatform content that links together separate delivery platforms including TV, online, mobile, or IPTV. Judges will look for innovation, creative programming as well as a clear understanding of its target market. Evidence of audience appreciation, targeted marketing, viewing figures, site hits and relevant indicators will support a successful entry.

This event will be attended by hundreds of the biggest names in the digital broadcasting industry.

Racing UK, the leading broadcaster of live UK Flat and Jumps horseracing, has chosen PayWizard to monetise its App for Android smartphones. The App enables subscribers to purchase subscriptions, starting at just £9.99 per month, to view Racing UK’s premium live content using the PayWizard payment solution. The App also gives racing fans the latest racecards, results, news and blogs.

MGt, the leading provider of software and solutions for payment, billing and customer management has successfully raised a further £5m from its existing investors, which include the Rothschild Investment Trust and Lord Weinstock’s estate. The money has been raised to fund the expansion of the highly functional and versatile PayWizard payment solution.

The current discussion surrounding the proposed pricepoints put forward by Apple and Google is ignoring the wider issues that should be considered by content providers when seeking a payments partner.

MGt, the leading provider of software and solutions for payment, billing and customer management to the digital TV industry, today announced that Racing UK, the leading broadcaster of live UK Flat and Jumps horse-racing, has selected the highly functional and versatile PayWizard platform as its preferred mobile payments partner to monetise its digital content.