BROADBAND PROVIDER Magnet Entertainment has launched a new online TV channel aimed at the youth market.
In what the company claims is Ireland's first ever youth-oriented online channel, MagnetInfinityTV will be available for free to anybody in Ireland with a broadband connection from November 19th on www.mitv.ie, and over the telco's own fibre-optic network, where it can be watched on a normal television set.
The content for the channel will be produced by Dublin-based company Intermission Studio, and centre on music, movie news and reviews, and other miscellaneous programming. Initially, viewers will be able to watch two hours of fresh content per day on a continuous 24/7 loop, with the option of video on demand.
According to Áine Healy, managing director of Intermission Studio, long-term goals will be to roll out more original content and even acquire material from overseas. "We know there is a demand for a different type of schedule in the Irish television market because we have conducted thorough research to establish the tastes, preferences, requirements and dislikes of these viewers," she said.
"We have built our schedule around what our audience wants firstly, and believe advertisers and sponsors will follow."
Magnet Entertainment has invested a six-figure sum in this project that follows on from the IPTV and PCTV services on its own network.
Mark Kellett, chief executive officer of Magnet, said the channel would be a showcase for both Magnet's broadband capacity and media ambitions.
"We believe it will be Magnet's most high-profile venture to date, and it's a perfect introduction to what we're about.
"We've seen incredible growth in the consumption of both social and video content in the past couple of years. It has become very clear to us that consumers are looking at diversifying how they view linear and non-linear content, with a sizeable shift to the online form."
According to Mr Kellett, recent studies have shown that 58 per cent of 18-30-year-olds do not watch standard TV every day.
"With our knowledge of viewing habits aligned with our ownership of the broadband connection, there was a natural synergy and timing to our ability to launch this service."
One of the more interesting aspects of the online channel will be the interaction it will have with its viewers and presenters through social networking sites, message boards and so on.
Indeed, one of the programmes, The Studio and You, will be an opportunity for budding presenters to showcase their talents. Interested persons are already being drawn through social networking sites and forums.
"The programming is as unconventional and inventive as the broadcasting platform. The opportunities that this now presents not only to consumers but also to marketers are infinite," Mr Kellett said.
