DIGITAL content management systems developed by Bentley-based DCN (formerly Data-Cast.Net) have caught the attention of global airline industry heavyweight Water-mark.
DIGITAL content management systems developed by Bentley-based DCN (formerly Data-Cast.Net) have caught the attention of global airline industry heavyweight Water-mark.
The pair has launched a joint venture company, AeroTV (DCN holds 84 per cent), for the sales and marketing of DCN’s AeroTV product.
However, DCN’s journey to the top has come from rocky beginnings for the start-up.
DCN originally developed a central server for a digital TV station but couldn’t sell the product, according to DCN managing director Gary Ellis.
“We thought there would be a good market but we couldn’t find someone to buy our server,” he said.
“So this was a classic marketing exercise. If you won’t buy the bus, at least buy a seat.”
But with successful penetration of its digital content management into the hotel industry, and AeroTV due to list on London’s Alternative Investment Market by the end of June, the sky is the limit.
Watermark is operated by John Caulcutt and provides a portfolio of services to about 200 airlines across the globe.
Watermark will now market DCN’s AeroTV system worldwide, with the first airborne DCN AeroTV expected in April.
DCN’s skyward success started from selling its first product, a digital movie delivery system called DVC, almost three years ago.
The product was launched throughout Australia via Easynet and placed in more than 100 businesses.
“We entered an existing market rather than create a new one. We identified that these properties [smaller hotels] were using VCRs,” Mr Ellis said. “This market is exciting because we can do it better, cheaper, with better service and it is all legal; all the content is licensed.”
The DVC has been upgraded to a Virtual Private Television service (VPTV) and the products are a convincing cost proposition for small to medium size accommodation businesses, he said.
A distribution agreement was signed last week with Open Media Pty Ltd for DCN’s latest system, the Mikros.
“It has all the capabilities [of the VPTV] but we’ve put a telecommunications hub into it and connected it to the central server so that it allows VoIP, call aggregation, and broadband. That will be marketed at a more sophisticated level,” Mr Ellis said.
“They will distribute to hotels, motels, shopping centres, supermarkets, and hospitals.”
