Vubiquity is in discussions with a number of retailers to launch a product that would allow consumers to buy digital content, initially movies, in high street shopping outlets.
As part of this expansion, Vubiquity has hired former Reverbz Media CEO Salter (pictured), to head up the new initiative as vice president of retail at Vubiquity. Before founding Reverbz, he was category director of media and entertainment at Tesco and previously global vice president Wal-Mart.
Together the companies hope to create an ‘immersive digital retail experience’. Vubiquity will provide all the necessary digital content services for the new product, including content licensing, processing for multiplatform viewing, metadata management, and digital distribution. Reverbz will provide the physical supply chain in the retail environment.
Through this new product, consumers will ultimately be able to purchase digital movies in retail outlets, often weeks before they are available on DVD, Blu-ray or VoD.
“I am thrilled to be working with Vubiquity,” commented Salter. “We see an excellent opportunity to grow significant business in this channel. Retailers have driven the growth of home entertainment and the building of personal video collections since the first VHS tapes in the mid-1980s. We believe retailers will continue to be a key part of the future of selling video in the digital age. Vubiquity wants to support retailers’ ambitions to go on selling content to their customers in disc form, and also help them go beyond the disc into digital ownership and consumption.”
Nick Ruczaj, SVP commercial EMEA at Vubiquity, added, “together we bring a wealth of retail and supply chain management experience giving the credibility to our customers to help shape and deliver these exciting new retail services. We will provide a range of fully integrated, end-to-end services that are very compelling for retailers, content owners and consumers alike.”
“Vubiquity has the scale and resources to support the digital retail experience that the market has been calling for a response to for the last 12 months. We are excited to be moving into the delivery phase.”
