Veoh Networks has announced its official launch, offering publishers and viewers a “new era of Internet television”, according to the company.

According to the Veoh, their automatic syndication and reporting features lets video publishers reach and manage the largest audience on the web. For viewers, Veoh offers a comprehensive set of features and viewing options, including a downloadable player that turns a viewer computer into a virtual DVR that can download content from video sites across the Internet. Veoh’s peer-to-peer network, built from the ground up for video distribution, is designed to ensure that publishers can provide viewers with a full-screen, DVD-quality experience.

“Veoh’s mission is to bring the next generation of television to people wherever they are–office, living room, or on the go.” said Dmitry Shapiro, CEO, Veoh. “Technology will allow us to dramatically improve the experience, and we believe our formal release today is an important step towards realizing our goal.”

The service offers several interesting new options for publishers and viewers alike.
Veoh for Publishers

Audience Reach – Veoh offers a feature that lets video publishers upload videos once to Veoh and automatically syndicate them to major video sites including YouTube, Google Video and MySpace. With its official launch, Veoh has expanded its syndication offerings to include Facebook; the publishers’ own blogs; RSS feed syndicators; iPod; and Windows Media players. Veoh publishers can now monitor their audiences across the major video web sites from their Veoh account. One-stop uploading and reporting allows publishers to invest less time in managing video distribution, and more time in what they want to do — creating and marketing their content.

Quality Video Delivery – Veoh allows its publishers to upload videos of any length or file size for distribution. Due to its unique peer-to-peer network design, Veoh is able to distribute large files without rapidly scaling server costs. This ensures that through Veoh, publishers will be able to present to audiences their programs in their entirety at their original level of clarity – delivering more of a television viewing experience than the typical Internet video experience.

Multiple Revenue Models – Veoh offers video publishers a range of choices to earn revenues. Publishers choose advertising, paid content, or a mix. If they choose advertising, they can sell advertising or have Veoh do it for them. If they opt for paid content, they can choose from multiple options including pay-per-view, pay-to-own or subscription.

Veoh for Viewers

Anytime, Anywhere – and now from Most Any Source – Veoh lets viewers watch via streaming from veoh.com or downloading to Veoh’s virtual digital video recorder (the Veoh Player) to watch later. Veoh also supports ipods and Windows Media devices. The Veoh Player allows viewers to subscribe to episodic programs, to watch at DVD quality, and to watch without an Internet connection. Viewers can easily connect the Veoh Player to their television, allowing them to watch Internet programming of the same quality and with the same comfort as broadcast television.

With this launch, the Veoh Player adds the ability to download programs from thousands of other sites on the Internet. With the Veoh browser plug-in, viewers can identify video at any site they visit, saving it automatically to their Veoh Player. Viewers can organize and watch this content alongside videos they find or automatically receive from Veoh.com, turning the Veoh Player into a universal repository for their favorite video entertainment.

Recommendation and Community Features – Registered viewers are presented with suggestions throughout Veoh.com and the Veoh player based on their viewing habits and preferences. Veoh recommendations technology complements and leverages a full suite of community features like ratings and comments, powerful video keyword search and browsing functions, as well as a dedicated programming team working to introduce viewers quickly to compelling, new content choices.

Content Directly from Veoh – Former television executive John MacDonald joined Veoh as President of Content during the Beta period to help expand Veoh’s offerings of branded Indie, professional and studio content. MacDonald and his team have built a library of approximately 100,000 videos and hundreds of channels across 15 categories, including over 25 branded channels with many more in the works.

In addition to the recently announced major content partnerships with US Weekly and the United Talent Agency, Veoh has already launched channels for partners including TNT, Bennet Media, Paramount Pictures and New Line Cinema. Veoh launches the TV Guide channel this week.

“Viewers clearly like the flexibility, features and content we’re offering,” said Shapiro. “With our reports showing 4 million uniques in January and a monthly growth rate exceeding 20 percent, our viral growth has been spectacular”.

Veoh for Advertisers

Veoh has added the capability to support advertising in a variety of formats. Veoh offers advertisers a unique environment, given the combination of compelling content and ability to target a typically hard-to-reach, young adult audience. Veoh has signed Dr. Pepper as its launch sponsor.

Veoh for Partners

Veoh has entered into several partnerships to accelerate Veoh’s growth and adoption at veoh.com, on the Veoh Player and in the living room. The company has inked deals with companies like Blinkx and MeeVee to distribute Veoh’s video library. Veoh is collaborating with chip maker AMD to bring Internet video to set-top boxes, accelerating the transition of Veoh’s DVD-quality videos from the PC to the living room. Meanwhile, Ripple is on board to distribute video content from Veoh.com onto large screens in Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores and other outlets.

“It will take many players, working together, to make Internet television as ubiquitous as television is today,” said Shapiro. “With our superior platform and rate of viewer growth, we’re well-positioned to partner with companies who share our vision for the future.”