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RNS Number : 7660I

Zoo Digital Group PLC

21 June 2011

 



21 June 2011

ZOO DIGITAL GROUP PLC

("ZOO" or "the Group")

ZOO Targets eBook and music industries

ZOO, the provider of workflow management software and services for creative media production, is pleased to announce that, following the success of its iTunes production toolset, it has identified further opportunities within the Electronic Sell Through ("EST") market, specifically with regards to electronic books and the music industry.

Since announcing in September 2010 the availability of its toolset for iTunes production, ZOO has been working with a number of film studios, including Warner Bros., to adapt video content for sale through Apple's iTunes store and has expanded the range of services it offers to content owners for EST production.

As a result of this, and given the success of the electronic books market, ZOO has augmented its Media Collaboration platform to include an eBook Builder which provides an efficient and cost-effective way for publishers to repurpose traditional books for sale online, across a wide range of genres including picture books, comics, travel guides, cookery books and reference publications.  This new tool works in conjunction with ZOO's software for managing collaborative workflows, adapting materials into multiple languages, and providing storage and distribution of content for multiple eBook vendors.  ZOO has begun working with a number of traditional publishers in the US and Europe to enable high quality adaptations of existing products for sale online. According to a recent report from Futuresource Consulting, in 2010 the eBook market grew by more than 200% to a value of more than US$900m.

Another area of development for ZOO is in the music industry, where publishers are beginning to promote their products with value-added materials using Apple's iTunes LP format.  iTunes LP and iTunes Extras are interactive experiences created to accompany music and movies. iTunes LP lets listeners hear an album and view lyrics, liner notes, band photos, performance videos, and more.  ZOO has created an Interactive Content Editor to enable the efficient preparation of these and other EST packages to which iTunes LP support has been added.  Initial customers include a number of music publishers in the US, UK and France.  According to Strategy Analytics, digital music revenues in 2012 will reach US$2.8 billion and surpass physical sales for the first time.

Stuart Green, CEO of ZOO commented: "The Electronic Sell Through market is clearly one of the most exciting developments in recent history for all forms of media sales, and we're delighted to be playing an increasing role. The incredible growth in the electronic books market has been well documented of late and we believe that there are also substantial opportunities within the music industry."

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For further enquiries please contact:

ZOO Digital Group plc	0114 241 3700
Stuart Green - Chief Executive Officer
Helen Gilder - Group Finance Director
FinnCap	020 7600 1658
Marc Young / Henrik Persson (corporate finance) Tom Jenkins / Joanna Weaving (corporate broking)
Threadneedle Communications	020 7653 9850
Josh Royston / Terry Garrett / Hilary Millar

Notes to Editors

About ZOO Digital Group plc

ZOO Digital Group plc provides software and related services that support the authoring, re-purposing and distribution of creative media. ZOO's products form an integrated suite of web-based and desktop applications for audio/visual content and printed materials, adapting these media for different languages, formats and delivery mechanisms. 

By centralising editorial and approval processes via secure web-based platforms, ZOO's proprietary patented software helps customers to increase their speed of production, reduce costs and protect their brand integrity. ZOO's services enable quicker and more cost effective processes across a wide range of applications and formats, including packaging, printed materials, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, video on demand, electronic sell-through, broadcast, music and electronic books. 

The Group's largest customers include major Hollywood studios, for which the production, marketing and distribution of titles in numerous formats across many geographies and languages has previously been a lengthy, costly and largely manual process. Increasingly the Group's software is benefiting a variety of companies across sectors where the development of media products, printing, packaging and marketing involves complex processes in multiple countries and languages, particularly where brand integrity is of core importance.

Blu-ray is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association.  iTunes is a trademark of Apple Inc.

 

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