BlinkBox, a new UK startup has launched allowing users to overlay a video clip taken from a movie or TV show with a personalised message at the beginning. Designed to go viral via a link, embed or mobile device, the resulting clip also prompts the recipient to buy or rent the movie/show. All the content is pre-approved for use by the rights-holders and is heavily DRM’d.
BlinkBox has already signed a number of studios to the site including Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Aardman Animations and Discovery Networks. The concept is similar to Slingbox’s Clip+Sling, which allows Slingbox users to create short content clips and share it with friends.
The site launches with clips from The Wizard of Oz, Vertigo, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Syriana, Superman Returns, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, The Matrix, Shaun of the Dead and A Clockwork Orange among others. It’s not working 100% for non-UK users at launch, but that shouldn’t matter as it’s staying in the UK market for now.
The site is being launched by an experienced team: the co-founders are Michael Comish (CEO), formerly managing director of 4 Services at Channel 4, and Adrian Letts (COO), formerly with the mobile content team for Vodafone.