Playster

Playster
Type of business Private
Available in English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish
Founded 2014
Area served Worldwide
CEO Philip Keezer
Industry Streaming Media
Employees 80
Slogan(s) Entertainment Unlimited
Website www.playster.com

Playster is a global subscription-based entertainment service, providing on-demand movies, television shows, music, video games, ebooks and audiobooks.

History

Playster was founded in Montreal with private equity in 2014.

During its Beta phase, the company announced content partnerships with several major publishers and distributors, including HarperCollins,[1] Simon & Schuster,[2] Harlequin,[3] Paramount Pictures, Cinedigm and Gameloft. In March 2015, Playster became a member of the Los Angeles-based Digital Entertainment Group,[4] and shortly afterwards The New York Times labelled it "a new contender" in the subscription market, alongside Scribd and Oyster.[5]

In June 2015, Playster announced it had partnered with digital audio distributor Findaway in order to add audiobooks to its collection.[6] The company later claimed that it had been driven to make the addition having seen competing services such as Scribd and Audible introduce restrictions to their ebooks and audiobook catalogs.[7]

At its launch in December 2015, Playster was giving subscribers access to more than 250,000 books,[8] 50,000 audiobooks and 15 million songs.[9]

According to Forbes, the company also opened a new office in New York at the end of 2015.[10]

In April 2016, Playster expanded its audiobook library to include the Big Five publishers. As reported by Adweek, "the platform now carries audiobooks from: Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, HarperCollins UK, Recorded Books, Tantor, and Highbridge. HarperCollins US titles are already in the library."[11]

In May 2016, Playster announced its partnership with StreetLib, the Italian-based independent multi-language publishing distributor. In addition to the announcement, Playster also launched its affiliate program, allowing authors and publishers to further promote the content they have featured on Playster.[12]

Playster announced partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and The Orchard in September 2016, bringing its streaming music collection up to par with other industry leaders in 15 countries.[13]

Concept

The subscription model used by Playster differs from other on-demand services in that multiple types of media are brought together under a single subscription. Business and publishing magazines have suggested that Playster's all-inclusive offering is an attempt to "revive"[14] the digital subscription model which is considered to be struggling, particularly in the field of ebooks.[15]

Playster's recommendations technology uses a combination of metadata and user behavior insights in order to recommend similar titles to users across different media types. For example, upon watching a movie the user could be recommended a related book or video game.[16]

Playster can be used in any web browser on a desktop or laptop computer, as well as Android and iOS devices.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "HarperCollins Inks Content Deal with Playster", Publishers Weekly, 25 March 2015. Retrieved on 3 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Simon & Schuster Puts Ebooks on Playster's Subscription Platform | Digital Book World". www.digitalbookworld.com. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
  3. ↑ "Playster Adds Harlequin, Simon & Schuster Titles to Its Subscription Platform", The Digital Reader, 16 April 2015. Retrieved on 15 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "DEG Adds 12 New Member Companies", Home Media Magazine, 10 March 2015. Retrieved on 3 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Alter, Alexandra (2015-04-08). "Oyster to Sell E-Books Alongside Its Subscription Service". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
  6. ↑ "Playster, still in beta, signs up audiobook company Findaway for media subscription service", Publishers Weekly, 24 June 2015. Retrieved on 6 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Global Audiobook Trends and Statistics for 2016", Good E Reader, December 18, 2015. Retrieved on 6 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Playster All-Media Subscription Service Debuts in U.S.", Publishers Weekly, 10 December 2015. Retrieved on 15 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "New subscription service Playster launches globally", Stream Daily, 10 December 2015. Retrieved on 15 December 2015.
  10. ↑ Olenski, Steve (2015-12-21). "The Best Way To Work Different Media Types Into Storytelling: A Look At Playster". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  11. ↑ "Playster Subscription Service Expands Audiobook Library". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  12. ↑ "Playster Partners with StreetLib and Launches Affiliate Program | Digital Book World". www.digitalbookworld.com. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  13. ↑ "Playster Signs Deals With Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group & The Orchard, Debuts New Music Streaming Platform". The National Post. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
  14. ↑ "Can Playster Revive Ebook Subscription?", BookBusiness, 16 December 2015. Retrieved on 6 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Why the Subscription Model for Ebooks Doesn't Work (at Least Not Yet)", Entrepreneur, 26 June 2015. Retrieved on 6 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "The All-in-One Subscription Model", Digital Book World, 14 December 2015. Retrieved on 6 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Why Playster is Taking an All-In-One Approach to its Global Launch", TheVideoInk, 10 December 2015. Retrieved on 6 January 2015.
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