EPIX teams with Adobe to create Innovative Mobile Viewing EntertainmentExperience

EPIX, the multiplatform premium entertainment service formed by Viacom Inc., its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate, have announced that it has added mobile capabilities to its multiplatform offer, expanding the viewing experience across the “third screen.”

Now, cable, telco and satellite distributors can bring the EPIX experience right to subscribers’ mobile devices, alongside its existing linear channel, on-demand and online delivery platforms. The announcement was made during the 2010 Mobile World Congress, which runs from February 15-18 in Barcelona, Spain.

EPIX has joined the Open Screen Project and teamed up with Adobe to demonstrate a mobile version of the channel, which runs on Adobe Flash Player 10.1. The player offers viewers the highest mobile viewing quality available on mobile devices today, and is expected to provide authenticated subscribers with access to the entire EPIX lineup including feature-title playback and programming extras. A “bookmark” component, which picks up a placeholder in a television or online-initiated film and transfers the experience to mobile, is also in the works.

“EPIX has quickly made a name for itself as an innovative force in entertainment that delivers the very best programming across multiple platforms,” said Bryant Macy, senior director for Product Marketing, Flash Platform at Adobe. “We are thrilled to help EPIX bring their rich content to mobile devices and are confident that with Flash Player 10.1, mobile users will enjoy a superior viewing experience while on the go.”

“We’re focused on defining the future of entertainment, and mobile is at the forefront of consumer demands,” said Thomas Carpenter, VP of operations at EPIX. “We are committed to providing viewers with the best entertainment experience anytime, anywhere - and what better place to deliver on that commitment than mobile? Working with Adobe on Flash Player 10.1 is a significant milestone in our effort to be the first to embrace new technologies that extend the movie-watching experience to an expanding range of emerging platforms and devices.”

EPIX is the first entertainment service to offer its entire content lineup on demand and online as well as on the traditional television channel. Its new mobile functionality will be available for cable, telco and satellite distributors that choose to team up with EPIX on mobile device delivery.