(30 April 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Azureus, which works in the area of aggregating and distributing video via an online peer-to-peer (P2P) application, today has announced a content agreement with Unicef.

This is Unicef's first P2P distribution initiative . Azureus will publish all of Unicef's short and long-form broadcast quality video for use by socially conscious consumers around the world via its new digital media platform, Vuze (www.vuze.com).

A broadband distribution platform that enables a global community to share and discover unique high quality content, Vuze claims to attract more than 2 million global visitors after only a few months in existence.

Unicef says that it has a unique opportunity with Azureus to take advantage of the global reach of Vuze to draw attention and support for children in developing countries through the power of high quality video. Unicef says that with Vuze, its videos will easily be available online to view and share for free and help raise social consciousness around the many powerful initiatives it is involved in.

Unicef videos will be published by Azureus on Vuze, including video news packages, public service announcements and vodcasts. An automated system will transfer Unicef's complete video library onto Vuze to be available to millions of people throughout the world. The site will feature touching videos from Unicef Goodwill Ambassadors like Sarah Jessica Parker, Shakira, Clay Aiken and Roger Federer.

Other soon-to-be available titles include: 'One-stop' Clinic Helps New Mothers Keep Their Children Healthy in Gambia, Rural Centres Provide Early Childhood Development Services in Iran and Venezuelan Indigenous Group Begins to Revive its Lost Language.

Azureus states that Vuze's tools will allow humanitarian organisations to economically and effectively reach millions of citizens worldwide to help drive awareness and ultimately affect change.

Launched this month, Azureus' new platform, Vuze, serves as an alternative, low-cost distribution and marketing platform to distribute compelling, High Definition content to a fast growing global audience of millions of active users. Both large and small content owners can promote their works to their fan base through comprehensive discovery tools including search, browsing, channels and tagging, as well as gauge market interest in specific territories. The entire experience, from search and discovery to payment, download and play, is tightly integrated into the application. Publishers can also distribute their work directly from the application.

Further demonstrating the platform's success, Azureus recently announced partnerships with several high-profile content providers, including the BBC Worldwide (including BBC HD), Showtime Networks, A&E Networks (including A&E, The History Channel, and The Biography Channel), Nelvana Enterprises, Bennett Media Worldwide, G4 TV, National Geographic, Starz Media, more than 20 other media companies and thousands of self-publishers. Additional content from other partners will be made available on Vuze throughout the year.