First on Mars (website)
 | |
| Type of business | Private Venture Funding |
|---|---|
Type of site | television on demand |
| Founded | January, 2008 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California , U.S. |
| Key people | Tuhin Roy, CEO Owner Fred Zirdung, CTO |
| URL | www |
| Launched | September 2008 (beta) |
First on Mars is a web application that aggregates links to cable and network TV shows available for free online viewing. TV shows are aggregated from over 60 sources including Hulu. Instead of negotiating licenses to the TV show content, First on Mars uses embeddable players provided by content owners.[1] As of January, 2009, First on Mars indexed over 13,000 episodes and 600 shows.[2] First on Mars is free to consumers and plans to generate revenue through on-site advertising.[3]
History
[edit]First on Mars was founded in January 2008 by Tuhin Roy, who is currently serving as CEO. Prior to founding First on Mars, Roy founded music and TV content aggregator Digital Rights Agency and was a co-founder of Echo Networks, an online radio company.[4] First on Mars received funding from angel investors and small investment funds in two rounds.[5]
First on Mars was made available for public beta testing in September 2008, and its official launch was on December 10, 2008. As of December 2008, First on Mars had 12 employees and consultants and is based in San Francisco.[6] Version 1.5 was released on January 27, 2009, which added proprietary search functionality.
Technology
[edit]A patent application for First on Mars' proprietary guide technology was filed in September 2008.[7] The guide is built using Adobe Flex and Ruby on Rails.[3] As First on Mars users add shows, networks, and moods to their favorites, the First on Mars guide is personalized for each user. The guide can be further personalized with various graphical skins.
Content
[edit]TV shows are organized in several ways: by show, by network, or by mood. Shows are accessible from the major networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, as well as others including Comedy Central, Disney Channel, HBO, PBS, and the History Channel. TV shows available include current programming such as Flight of the Conchords, 24, Desperate Housewives, and Family Guy, as well as new shows such as Important Things with Demetri Martin and classic shows including The Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie, and Flipper.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ John Healey (December 10, 2008). "Building on Hulu". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ "First on Mars releases version 1.5 with new proprietary network TV search". PR Leap (Press release). January 27, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ a b "First on Mars launches personalized web 2.0 guide to 12,000 free on demand television episodes". PR Leap (Press release). December 11, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ Kristin Thomson (September 17, 2003). "An interview with the Digital Rights Agency". Future of Music Coalition. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ Tam Vo (December 10, 2008). "First on Mars launches, wants to be TV show aggregator". VentureBeat. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ Liz Gannes (December 12, 2008). "Did video startups not get the memo on the economy?". Business Week. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ "First on Mars selected as a featured start-up at tonight's Microsoft BizSpark launch event". Forbes.com (Press release). December 16, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2009.[dead link]