President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced yesterday the launch of Odeon, an on-demand digital platform for Argentine audiovisual content.
The project is a combined effort by the National Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), which is in charge of curating the contents, and state-owned telecommunications company Arsat, which provides technological development and broadcasting. Funding for $31m is provided by the state, and users can access the content for free. However, the website warns that a subscription system for some of the content will be in place in 2016 “in order to make the project sustainable”, while still offering a “great variety” of free content.
Content available on the website includes Argentine films, documentaries, and series in HD and SD, and there are plans to expand it in the future to include regional content. It can be accessed via computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, but only from Argentina.
The aims of Odeon are to “contribute to cultural inclusion and technological sovereignty; establish a new platform for the launch and circulation of national content” and “offer a new commercial outlet for the audiovisual industry, as part of a public-private partnership.”
President Fernández referred to Odeon as a “very humble, national version of Netflix.”
The post Government Launches On-Demand Video Platform appeared first on The Argentina Independent.