Type of site online movie theater Commercial yes | Website megogo.net | |
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Available in Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh Registration optional (required for commenting, voting for the film and participation in promotions) Launched 22 November 2011; 5 years ago (2011-11-22) | ||
MEGOGO is an international legal online movie theater. Currently it's available on the territory of 15 Post-Soviet states. The service works on an advertising model – the movie screening is free of charge, however the different types of ads are frequently displayed to the viewer. It's also available by paid subscription to users from all over the world. In February 2015, the number of monthly unique users reached 32 millions. In 2014, the project has launched TV section, which broadcasts TV channels under the brand MEGOGO in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Latvia. In the end of 2014, MEGOGO was launched as a localised project in Czech Republic.
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CEO of Megogo.net is Vladimir Borovik. Representative offices have been opened in Moscow, Kyiv, Minsk, Riga, Almaty, Tbilisi, Chisinau, Bishkek, Yerevan.
Description
The library of the online movie theater has more than 75 thousand units of legal video content: feature films, documentaries, cartoons, TV shows, TV series, live sports and cultural events, news, music videos.
More than 95% of all MEGOGO content is available for free. Video is streaming in the Full HD, 1080p format, UHD(4K). There is also an intelligent system of memory and recommendations implemented.
The service is available on iPod, iPhone and iPad devices, on devices powered by Android platform, LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba TVs with the function of Smart TV, on Dune HD, Aura, Inext and other media set-top boxes powered by Android 2.2 and above, and on Pocketbook e-books.
The global trend of viewing videos through a variety of portable devices is confirmed by MEGOGO – in June 2014, 43% of all traffic was accounted for Smart TV, 15% - for mobile devices. The qualitative indicators, such as length and frequency of views, and downloads number, are constantly growing.
MEGOGO cooperates with the following rights owners: BBC, Euronews, Walt Disney, MGM, Miramax, Central Partnership, Nevod, Odessa Film Studio, Top Film, Rusсico, Aurora, Lenfilm, Inter, Cinemax, the Dovzhenko Film Studios, Leopolis, DT-production, Carmen, Soyuzmultfilm, Kievnauchfilm.
The main source of monetization is a short video ad, which is shown to users before watching the movie, at the end of it and while pressing pause. There are also some pay-per-view movies. For users from all over the world the service is available through paid subscription.
History
Officially, the project was launched on November 22, 2011. In January 2012, police conducted a search of the MEGOGO office, considering it to be a part of EX.UA, but both companies denied the connection between them. Already in March 2012, number of visitors of website hit 4.5 million. In April, the site of online movie theater was adapted for watching videos on iPod, iPhone and iPad devices.
In May 2012, MEGOGO launched Hollywood News section, which is a video news feed of Hollywood industry and the world of show business. Original content is provided by Films & star news star news agency, which is owned by an American company FCCE.
At the end of May 2012, MEGOGO company opened its offices in Belarus and Latvia. In June 2012, free access to Megogo.net was made available in the LG TVs with Smart TV. Also, the embedded player was created, which can be placed on any sites and social networks. In August, the entire MEGOGO video content was made available to users of VK social network.
In July 2012, the number of unique users reached 9.6 million people, and in August there were 12.5 million users. In September 2012, the app for Android was released, and in October the video service launched an app for iPad. Within two months the MEGOGO apps for mobile devices were downloaded by 235,000 people.
In November 2012 the MEGOGO apps were launched for Panasonic’s Smart Viera TVs and in the Windows Store. In November, the monthly number of users has reached 13 million people. In January 2013 the monthly audience hit 17.5 million viewers, and in February it reached 20 million.
In February 2013, MEGOGO signed a deal with BBC Worldwide, acquiring 300 hours of video, including Human Planet and the Sir David Attenborough-narrated documentary series Frozen Planet, along with dramas Luther, Sherlock and The Fades. Also in February, 3D films were made available in the MegogoHD app for the LG Smart TV platform.
In March 2013, the MEGOGO app appeared in Philips TVs. Also in March, the content of Euronews news channel was made available for the users of MEGOGO. In June, MEGOGO released an app for Pocketbook e-book and launched an extension for browsers that work on the Chrome engine.
In the beginning of 2014 MEGOGO has launched the TV section, where the broadcast of linear channels is streamed. In February 2015, the number of monthly unique users reached 32 millions. In 2014, the project has launched TV section, which broadcasts TV channels under the brand MEGOGO in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Latvia. In the end of 2014, MEGOGO was launched as a localised project in Czech Republic.
MEGOGO is actively engaged in social initiatives, patronising events in the fields of arts, culture, cinematography, media, internet, and other social activities. It also cares for people with hearing impairments by implementing the project "Look how it's heard". The video service is owning a sign language studio, opened a special section with thousands of films and organizes many theatrical shows for children with hearing impairments.