Opel Exclusive Partner to Internet TV Joost

Posted on 04/30/2007 under: News, Opel

Adam Opel GmbH breaks new ground by introducing its newest vehicles using special marketing initiatives. With the latest communication project, Opel is the exclusive partner of Internet TV provider “Joost”. The Opel GT, Antara and Corsa models, as well as the Astra family, will be presented to Joost TV viewers in various advertising formats during the provider’s three-month pilot phase from the beginning of May 2007. This continues Opel’s ongoing focus on new communication channels. Opel was also the first automaker to form a partnership with Vodafone’s Live Portal and offer audio Podcast advertisements.

The company also supports the Betty-TV and Blucom interactive television channels and established several Internet blogs. “With its fresh ideas and exciting products, Opel has initiated change within many vehicle segments for several years. Our brand’s innovative drive is clear in our communications too, where we are also actively creating trends with our use of new media channels,” says Alain Visser, Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, Adam Opel GmbH.

Combination of standard TV content with interactive Web 2.0 elements

Joost is the new project from Skype (Internet telephony) and Kazaa (peer-to-peer file exchange) founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. It combines standard TV content with the interactive benefits of the Web 2.0 system. Joost viewers can select the start date and time of a program, call up additional program information, as well as use the integrated chat and RSS news feed functions, for example.

The service itself is free for the viewer, as Joost is financed by advertising. Some of the popular programs on offer in Joost’s pilot phase include productions by well-known media companies such as Warner Bros. Records, Viacom, MTV and VH1.

Rather than broadcast in the usual MPEG-2 data format, Joost uses special software to reduce the data size by around one third, yet maintains the high-resolution HDTV format in its programs. During the three-month pilot phase, Joost can only be initially tested by a select group of one million viewers. Around 60 percent of these are in the USA, the other 40 percent in Western Europe.

Source: Opel