BMW expands IPTV worldwide following successful completion of beta phase

Following the successful completion of the two-year beta phase, BMW's extended IPTV offering (www.bmw.tv) went online on August 26, 2009. It replaces the popular previous offering, comprised of the German BMW TV website and the international site at www.mw-web.tv that achieved a combined total of more than 70 million video views. Findings were applied to optimize the new global web presence.

Complementing the German version (www.bmw.tv/de), web presences in twelve additional languages are scheduled to go online in the course of the next few months. For all other countries, there is an English version at www.bmw.tv/com. The website will continue to focus on the fields of motoring, innovation, lifestyle and sports.

The idea is to provide online video platforms, international bloggers as well as actual and potential customers with a wide range of information and features. This is why the BMW TV reports are not only made available via the BMW IPTV websites but also via dealership websites.

All video formats and language versions are stored on a central server to guarantee the efficient production and distribution of full-video content. The magic bullet: A specifically developed repository browser that allows all countries to upload reports to the video library. Thanks to the enhanced system architecture of the BMW TV web presence, the system can be accessed from Germany and abroad.

In the future, visitors of BMW TV can access full-video content in HD quality or use the "clickable videos". Embedded into these videos are so-called hotspots that enable users to call up information on cars and other products through the video. This system includes, for instance, a direct link to the Car Configurator. The entire web presence is structured dynamically and - thanks to tagging - matches the selected video with appropriate additional content. As a special feature, the international website (www.bmw.tv/com) provides a 3D media library that allows visitors to access the video offering directly. Other integrated features include standard web 2.0 applications such as a tag cloud generator or rating and dispatch functions. Users can furthermore subscribe to the BMW TV program preview newsletter and RSS feeds. All reports are available for download and linked to social bookmarking services.

The new BMW TV platform was implemented by internet agency denkwerk in cooperation with sevenload GmbH, both headquartered in Cologne.

For supporting images please refer to the PressClub at www.press.bmwgroup.com Access: www.bmw.tv and www.bmw.tv/com