SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 2005--From the fiery pits of the underworld to the darkest corners of the modern world, Witchblade has battled them all: demons, warlords and New York cabbies. The epic story of Top Cow's most recognizable heroine has been documented in comics, television and feature film. Now, Witchblade faces a whole new realm -- wireless.
Thanks to a new, multi-year agreement between Vidiator Technology (U.S.) Inc., the leading mobile multimedia solutions provider of mobile streaming, transcoding and 3-D rich-media applications, and the creative forces of Top Cow Productions, Inc., wireless subscribers around the world will have access to over 40 popular comic epics including Witchblade, Cyberforce, Darkness, Hunter-Killer, Aphrodite IX and Magdalena from Top Cow's extensive library.
The exclusive global alliance secures for Vidiator the wireless delivery rights for an array of branded content offerings. Powered by Vidiator, Top Cow's wildly popular comic book content will be expanded to a broad suite of compelling entertainment products targeting a wide international audience.
"Top Cow content enables us to leverage our cutting-edge applications to continue to wow wireless subscribers with the most engaging rich-media entertainment," says Connie Wong, Vidiator's CEO. "There is growing demand for partnerships like this that marry top-notch content with wireless applications. Top Cow's stories, characters and stunning visuals are perfect for the brave new world of mobile multimedia, appealing to the same demographics that are the fastest growing in the 1.8 billion mobile market."
Top Cow President Matt Hawkins observes "Vidiator's global presence enables us to expand our content into the international mobile market, opening up a new medium for the characters and stories we create. Given the rapid growth of cellular consumers worldwide, Vidiator empowers Top Cow to help pioneer the look and feel of mobile entertainment."
Vidiator has developed leading-edge technologies enabling mobile operators to offer premium multimedia content from providers like Top Cow and Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment. Dubbed "the Cadillac of streaming solutions," Vidiator's core streaming technology is deployed in 10 countries on four continents around the world, delivering up to a million multimedia streams per day to a wireless subscriber base growing at a rate of over 18,000 subscribers per day.
About Vidiator Technology (U.S.) Inc.
Vidiator is a leading 3GPP and 3GPP2-compliant solutions provider for the delivery of rich media across wireless networks. VeeStream(TM) delivers the highest quality multimedia on-demand and live event streaming for wireless broadcasting. VeeStream is a carrier-grade, standards-based, content-format agnostic, scalable platform providing 2.5G and 3G network operators with audio and video transcoding and streaming. VeeStream enables the ultimate user experience by dynamically adjusting streams to changing wireless bandwidth, using a patented and client-agnostic algorithm. Full geographic distribution is supported via live and media-on-demand proxy/caching, and ad-insertion through server side play-lists. VeeStream powered the first commercial deployment of wireless video streaming over 3G networks including live streamed broadcasts of breaking news, reality shows, rock concerts, racetrack monitoring, real-time traffic and sporting events. VeeAdapt(TM) enables audio, video and image transcoding within multimedia networks. Working in conjunction with 3rd party MMSCs, it optimizes multimedia transcoding based on the characteristics of the receiving handsets. VeeMessenger(TM), a patented multimedia messaging technology, brings imagination and interactivity to users by enabling them to select and personalize 3D characters (avatars) and combine them with a recorded or typed message direct from the handset. VeeMessenger then synchronizes the avatar's movements with the audio file or text, generating a fully lip-synchronized video message, preview-able and deliverable to handsets or e-mail. VeeContent(TM) includes Stan Lee's animated mobisodes. Vidiator's customers have launched these products in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Vidiator is based in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A., with offices in LA, San Francisco, London and Hong Kong.
www.vidiator.com.
About Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Top Cow was founded in December of 1992 and currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and 2 licensed) in the industry's Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise Witchblade was TNT's #1 original film of 2000. Virtually all of Top Cow's other properties are in development as feature films, live action television or animation. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, guitars, trading cards, standees, video games and role playing games.
www.topcow.com
