By Patrick Avenell
The team responsible for the successful creation and launch of the Rdio music streaming subscription service is currently developing a Video equivalent called ‘Vdio’.
Rdio cofounder Carter Adamson first revealed plans for a video service in February 2012. At the time he did not reveal content or business model details, which Current.com.au understands were still being finalised.
The Vdio website is now in closed beta at vdio.com and carries the same logo and styling of Rdio. Sources at Rdio told Current.com.au that Vdio is in the “private testing” stage, with only invited beta testers from the United States and United Kingdom able to trial the service.
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According to the Vdio website, both feature films and TV series will be available to users, presumably through the website, desktop software and mobile apps. Vdio is currently displaying Prometheus, Breaking Bad, Ted and Mad Men, among others, on its placeholder homepage.
Vdio will also offer indexing of titles under headers such as ‘Popular’, ‘Featured’ and ‘New Releases’. One of the options for users is ‘Purchases’, which indicates Vdio will be lean more towards owning content rather than leasing it via a subscription service, which is Rdio’s principal business model.
Providing an insight into Vdio’s target market are the categories under the header ‘Sets’. In addition to the prosaic ‘Best Picture Oscar’ and ‘The Best of War’ collections are sets such as ‘Best On-Screen Bromances’, ‘Director Cameos’ and ‘Great Films Where Nothing Really Happens’.
Meanwhile, Rdio Australia has announced that it is offering a 6-month free web music streaming trial to local users.