Following the successful completion of the two-year beta phase, BMW’s extended IPTV offering (www.bmw.tv) went online in August.
Following what it says was the successful completion of the two-year beta phase, BMW’s extended IPTV offering went online on August 26, 2009. It replaces the previous offering, comprised of the German BMW TV website and the international site at www.mw-web.tv. All told, they tallied more than 70 million video views.
Complementing the German version (www.bmw.tv/de), twelve additional languages are scheduled to go online during 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.
BMW says the idea is to provide online video platforms and 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. A specifically developed repository browser allows all countries to upload reports to the video library. 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 example, a direct link to the Car Configurator. Thanks to tagging it matches the selected video with appropriate additional content.
As an enhanced 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.
Between January and August 2009 the BMW Group delivered 817,183 (2008: 992,341 / -17.7%) automobiles worldwide. BMW sold 679,893 (2008: 829,346 / -18.0%) units. Sales of the MINI brand for the year to the end of August were down 15.7% (136,879 units/versus 162,297). The Rolls-Royce brand reported a decline in sales of 41.1% (411 units versus 630) over the same period.