Video Streaming Tech Firm EyeWonder Opens UK Office

EyeWonder (www.eyewonder.com), creator of instant streaming video technologies for Internet and wireless devices, has announced the opening of its sales and marketing office in London, England.

The company states that it is pursuing this move to address the growing UK online advertising market.

According to a survey by the UK's Internet Advertising Bureau, the use of online advertising in Great Britain has grown more than 200 percent during the year 2000. British advertisers spent the equivalent of $221.7 million U.S. last year, an increase from $73 million U.S. in 1999.

Despite the rise in usage, high-speed Internet connections in the UK remain extremely rare. Video and audio online banner ads can take several minutes to download on a low speed, narrowband connection. "The British online ad industry needs an instant streaming technology that can deliver over the narrow bandwidth in the UK marketplace,'' states John Vincent, CEO of EyeWonder.

EyeWonder claims that its EYERIS coder/decoder enables Internet users to experience streaming video and audio within banner ads without the need for user-initiated media players.

The company has also recently partnered with CNN, Real Media, 24/7 Media, and Winstar Interactive.