Tribeca Film Festival Selects KIT digital to Power Its New Virtual Festival Platform

New Partnership to Bring This Year's Film Festival in NYC to Audience Members Across the U.S. and the World in Real Time.

NEW YORK, NY and PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, Apr 20, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --KIT digital, Inc. (NASDAQ: KITD), a leading global provider of on-demand software solutions for managing and monetizing Internet Protocol (IP)-based video assets, has partnered with the Tribeca Film Festival to launch Tribeca Film Festival Virtual (TFF Virtual), a virtual and interactive movie experience featuring high-definition premium video content and live streaming coverage from the 2010 Festival, powered by KIT digital's VX-one platform.

This year's New York City-based Tribeca Film Festival will run from April 21 through May 2, with free live streaming video coverage of select red carpet events, the opening press conference on April 20, and the Festival Awards Show on April 29. Users from all over the world will also be able to view short films from past festivals, celebrity interview highlights from the red carpet, and more -- all for free.

In addition to the free content available through TFF Virtual, fans can purchase $45 premium passes starting on April 23, which will give them access to exclusive, premium content, including 8 feature-length films and 18 shorts in HD -- premiering simultaneously in this year's Festival, behind the scenes exclusives and live red carpet and Q&As hosted by Gideon Yago.

Tribeca Film Festival Virtual is accessible at www.tribecafilm.com/virtual.

TFF Virtual is the most feature-rich, interactive and engaging new media community of its kind. In addition to accessing short and feature length films and festival highlights, TFF Virtual Premium Pass holders will have the opportunity to join live conversations with other film aficionados, as well as participate in real-time Q&A panels with filmmakers and industry insiders.

"In developing Tribeca Film Festival Virtual, we wanted to open the festival to a broader audience," said Nancy Schafer, executive director of the Tribeca Film Festival. "It is clear that the online experience is becoming an increasingly popular medium for viewing films and general entertainment content, and we wanted to provide film enthusiasts with the most in-depth and engaging experience possible."

Dan Rosen, SVP of the Americas and global head of Media & Entertainment for KIT digital, commented: "We are very excited to be working with Tribeca Film Festival to set a new standard in the film festival experience. With TFF Virtual, the goal is to make the virtual festival as similar as possible to the live in-theatre experience. The Tribeca Film Festival is on the cutting-edge of integrating its IP video and film content with virtual communities. Using our VX-one software platform over Akamai Technologies' globally distributed network, Tribeca Film Festival can broaden its international viewership and enhance audience interaction with the films, the filmmakers and other community members."

KIT digital is an Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) HD Network partner and is leading the way on utilizing Akamai's global network to help deliver the highest quality online video viewing experience possible.

KIT digital's VX-one platform is the industry's first truly end-to-end platform for ingesting, managing and publishing IP video to the three screens (computer browser, mobile handset, and IPTV-enabled television set). This new platform features modern enterprise architecture, enhanced content management, an augmented playback experience relating to advertising and interactive user engagement tools, as well as a recommendation engine and advanced reporting capabilities.

About the Tribeca Film Festival Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.

The Festival's mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. Tribeca Film Festival is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

The Tribeca Festival has screened over 1100 films from over 80 countries since its first festival in 2002. Since its founding, it has attracted an international audience of more than 2.3 million attendees and has generated an estimated $600 million in economic activity for New York City.

About Tribeca Film & Tribeca Film Festival Virtual Tribeca Film is a comprehensive distribution platform dedicated to acquiring and marketing independent films across multiple platforms, including video-on-demand, theatrical and home video. It is an initiative of Tribeca Enterprises. Tribeca Film Festival Virtual (TFFV or TFF Virtual) is the new media extension of the Tribeca Film Festival, offering audiences outside of New York City the opportunity to connect with movie enthusiasts around the world and experience all aspects of the Festival, including select 2010 Festival titles, panel discussions and live red carpet coverage. TFFV is accessible via www.tribecafilm.com/virtual. Together, Tribeca Film and TFFV provide new platforms for how film can be experienced, while supporting filmmakers and introducing audiences to films they might not otherwise see. American Express continues its support of Tribeca and the independent film community, signing on as the Founding Partner of Tribeca Film and TFF Virtual.

About KIT digital, Inc. KIT digital (NASDAQ: KITD) is a leading global provider of on-demand, Internet Protocol (IP)-based video asset management systems (VAMS). KIT VX, the company's end-to-end software platform, enables enterprise clients to acquire, manage and distribute video assets across the three screens of today's world: the personal computer, mobile device, and IPTV-enabled television set. The application of VX ranges from commercial video distribution to internal corporate deployments, including corporate communications, human resources, training, security and surveillance. KIT digital's client base includes more than 1,000 enterprise customers across 30+ countries, including The Associated Press, Best Buy, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Disney-ABC, FedEx, General Motors, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, IMG Worldwide, Intel, News Corp, Telefonica, the U.S. Department of Defense, Verizon, and Vodafone. KIT digital is headquartered in Prague, and maintains principal offices in Atlanta, Cairo, Cologne, Dubai, Melbourne (Australia), London, New York, Stockholm and Toronto. For additional information, visit www.kitd.com or follow the company on Twitter at twitter.com/KITdigital.

 

KIT digital Contact:
Adam Davis
Global Communications Manager
Tel. +1-609-468-9500

Tribeca Film Festival Contact:
Tammie Rosen
Tribeca Enterprises
Tel. 212-941-2003