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TV giant to launch free property portal
Fox International Networks-owned
RETV is to launch an overseas property portal offering “free standard listings” to agents and developers. The portal has significant financial backing and could represent a long-term threat to leading portals like Rightmove.co.uk.
The new portal will combine property listings with thousands of videos from the television channel. Up to 90% of their television archives are to be made available to consumers. The mission is become “the premier video-driven property platform in the world,” according to Managing Director, Mark Dodd.
To build property content, RETV plan to leverage their relationship with other Fox International Channels and News International, which part owns Globrix and Propertyfinder.com. However, REA Group CEO Simon Baker (REA Group also part own Propertyfinder.com) says he has yet to be approached by RETV.
Although the basic advertising offering is free, Dodd plans to make money through a combination of upgraded listings, display advertising and pre- and post-roll in-video advertising. The site will use sophisticated ad-serving technologies to allow advertisers to target consumers on a very granular level. “If someone is based in the UAE, we’ll be able to serve them advertisements about Dubai,” says Dodd.
Marketing firepower
RETV has increased its distribution networks since its takeover by Fox International Channels in January this year, as well as launching a sister channel RETV+1. The channels are currently distributed through Sky, BT Vision and Virgin Video-on-Demand and it will be available on
Freesat in the autumn. The new portal also has a six-figure marketing budget for launch. The launch plan is currently being finalised but Globaledge.co.uk understands most of the money will be spent online.
Global partnerships
As well as its obvious strengths in reaching UK consumers, RETV will be approaching international partners interested in hosting their extensive video archives. The exact partnership business model has yet to be decided but “nobody in the UK or internationally has access to the type of content we can show,” claims Dodd, “it’s a unique proposition.”
Mobile ambition
Technological opportunities are changing the whole set-up of RETV’s business. “The TV channel is morphing into a completely different animal,” says Dodd. In the near future RETV plans multiple language versions and a mobile proposition.
Mobile advertising is set to overtake PC-based advertising within a few years and with such compelling video content, RETV seem ideally placed to take advantage.