DrinkTV is a multi-platform independent streaming video network dedicated to celebrating all the best in drinks culture through original programming that explores the stories behind the liquid in your glass—from rare whisky to craft beer to creative cocktails to wine.

Founded as a partnership between Scottish-American craft brewery BrewDog and Emmy-winning production company Redtail Media, DrinkTV caters to a passionate—yet underserved—audience that enjoys a curated lifestyle, unapologetically and on their own terms. DrinkTV is available to stream on all major platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire, AppleTV, iOS, Android, web and smart TVs (Vizio, others coming soon).

In an innovative outgrowth of its video services, DrinkTV plans to implement blockchain-powered technology to disrupt key components of the online video ecosystem including monetization and delivery. These solutions are aimed at improving results and available options for the full spectrum of stakeholders in online video: advertisers, creators and viewers.

DrinkTV also plans to create its own cryptocurrency, the Drink Token, and to tokenize its securities sold in the private placement, when legal and regulatory assurance is in place that the cryptocurrency and the security tokens will be legal and compliant in the United States. Because really (once it’s legal and compliant, of course) what could be better than buying yourself a drink with drink-themed crypto?

As a media network, DrinkTV capitalizes on the OTT video revolution by bringing beer, wine and spirits-related programming directly to the consumer, starting with the 100+ hours presently available on the platform, and,—like any good bar—offering the viewer lots of choice for how to watch. Casual viewers can register for a free account and watch a selection of programming with ad support, while the serious fan can subscribe for $2.99/month (or $29.99/year) to watch ad-free and gain access to exclusive programming only available to premium subscribers.

OTT stands simply for “over the top” and refers to the delivery of video and film content directly to consumers over the Internet, without going through a middleman like a cable company. Netflix is probably the most famous OTT network, but there are many others, serving a wide variety of viewers interested in an incredible range of content.

We’re fans of drinks culture—so we created a network to celebrate those stories. But we’re also fans of the overall democratization of the content landscape, and we want to see ALL niche networks have a chance to thrive and run successful businesses by serving up the content their communities want to watch.

PROBLEM/OPPORTUNITY

Despite the massive popularity of alcoholic beverages around the world, very little content has been produced to showcase the stories behind the liquid in the glass. From a technical standpoint, online video already accounts for more than 73% of all global IP traffic, and nearly all video is distributed by centralized content delivery networks (CDNs) and funneled through a handful of middlemen who take fees and make video distribution more expensive than it needs to be. Furthermore, the actual number of views and other metrics of the videos distributed online are subject to manipulation and a complete lack of transparency, meaning advertisers and video creators must rely on unverifiable numbers provided by sources who do not want transparency for selfish reasons.

SOLUTION

Behind the scenes, by partnering with content-focused blockchain startup Eluvio and developing proprietary blockchain technology on top of their fabric, DrinkTV also plans to democratize the underlying architecture of video delivery just as OTT is democratizing the content of video. Using blockchain for video compression, data management, streaming, tracking and advertising, DrinkTV plans to lower the cost and increase the efficiency, desirability and anti-piracy measures of internet video delivery with its own proprietary blockchain technology that records on immutable ledgers IP ownership, the actual number of views and other metrics of online video in all its forms.

BUSINESS MODEL

With a combined strategy of consumer direct distribution via apps on Roku, Amazon FireTV, AppleTV, iOS, Android and Web, along with 3rd party distribution through major smart TV manufacturers, DrinkTV has the ability to reach an audience of more than 50MM households in American alone for its ad-supported and $2.99 monthly subscription models, and plans extensive international expansion as well.

Under the hood, DrinkTV plans to use blockchain for tracking of all video content on its network in future iterations, and also to develop blockchain-driven services that address the requirements of a truly decentralized video CDN (content delivery network): storage, transcoding, playback, and advertising services, which has disruptive ramifications for the entire online video industry.

MARKET

As an OTT video network, DrinkTV delivers video content directly to consumers over the Internet, without going through a middleman like a cable company. Netflix, Hulu and others have made the OTT marketplace into a huge and growing landscape. Niche OTTs like DrinkTV continue to thrive as the market matures. Consumer trends heavily favor a shift to OTT and worldwide online video consumption is expected to overtake traditional TV viewing in 2019. On the blockchain end, video traffic was 73% of all Internet activity in 2017, and will grow to more than 80% by 2021. DrinkTV’s disruptive blockchain technology could completely upend the way video is accessed, distributed, used and monetized in this massive use of the Internet—using DrinkTV itself as a case study for the technology’s power and potential reach.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

DrinkTV leverages the combined power of its founders’ success in the media, beverage and alcohol spaces respectively to raise the value of its consumer offering. Emmy-winning television producers Chris Burke and Jared Cotton oversee all content production to ensure premium quality. Their proven track record creating and producing content for major networks like Discovery, Turner’s truTV, Food Network and A&E—combined with their experience creating content for beverage alcohol clients—uniquely positions them to grow DrinkTV into the definitive destination for alcohol content. James Watt and Martin Dickie have grown their craft brewery BrewDog from two humans and one dog into a thriving international business that ships more than 120 million bottles/cans of beer to over 65 countries and operates 80 beer bars worldwide.

PENDING BLOCKCHAIN PARTNERSHIP

On the blockchain development end, DrinkTV is in discussions to partner with a technology supplier, Eluvio (http://eluv.io), whose blockchain-based open software network called the Eluvio Content Fabric (ECF) is an open high-performance system for managing and distributing large form content, like video. Eluvio was founded by the same team who created Aspera, the industry-standard software for media companies that pioneered video content transport for the modern era and eventually sold to IBM. As an example, Aspera is presently utilized by major media networks, from Fox Sports to PBS to Universal Pictures and many others to quickly move large digital files through the cloud and via direct transfers. The Eluvio team is now building their blockchain-based solution for video content distribution that will provide the backbone for video distribution for DrinkTV’s streaming video network in the future, and we believe will be the basis of our development of targeted blockchain software solutions that will solve specific problems of the online video industry.

Eluvio’s founders have identified DrinkTV as a platform that can help commercialize Eluvio’s technological services, and DrinkTV intends to base future development of its own media network, as well as the development of blockchain-driven solutions for key stakeholders in the media industry, on Eluvio’s Content Fabric. We are actively engaged in the creation of initial proofs of concept with Eluvio and have their support for future development of smart applications based on their platform. With our future development, we will be focused on solutions that continue to democratize video content delivery in a new model that will lower costs, reduce the distance between creators and viewers, and introduce incentive avenues for participants (consumers and advertisers) to benefit from getting on board.

DRINKTV’S BLOCKCHAIN SOLUTION

As video usage continues to expand, our goal is to service key needs of the marketplace for the consumer, advertiser and content creator: faster speed, higher reliability, lower costs of delivery, as well as better handling of large files across the “last mile.” In the process, we can serve our overall mission of creating connections between people by building a community of users who can earn rewards for their participation in the network.

We intend to develop the DrinkTV blockchain platform and ecosystem following this Offering, as set out in the Use of Proceeds. We envision the DrinkTV blockchain platform offering end to end solutions for media publishing, including the transcoding and decentralized delivery of video assets, as well as a more direct method of rewarding creators for their work. This will be accomplished through the development of smart applications that utilize the Eluvio Content Fabric’s power. In addition to improving the file delivery and transcode process, each piece of content will allow for verifying of copyright ownership, validating video authenticity and viewership tracking. Users may eventually be incentivized to sign up as nodes (transcode, storage and/or playback) to trade their bandwidth and computing power for rewards in the form of the Company’s planned DrinkTV Coin/Cryptocurrency or, as we plan to call it, the Drink Token.

OUR PROPOSED CRYPTOCURRENCY: THE DRINK TOKEN

DrinkTV is in the early development stage of a plan to produce and release a cryptocurrency – the Drink Token, in the future once the DrinkTV blockchain ecosystem is built giving the Drink Token utility within the system. The early stage plan is that DrinkTV intends to develop the Drink Token to be usable within the DrinkTV blockchain ecosystem, as well as that of the affiliated international craft brewery BrewDog, and eventually other partner brands. It is our belief that the Drink Token, if it is developed and released, will benefit Drink Token holders in several ways, possibly to include:

• Discounts on subscriptions to DrinkTV’s worldwide premium content platform
• Access to exclusive VIP events featuring on-air talent from the network
• Ability to “tip” your favorite talent and shows on the DrinkTV OTT network in order to increase the show’s chances for renewal of more episodes
• Discounts in BrewDog bars worldwide (more than 80 bars now open)
• Discounts in online shops of both DrinkTV and BrewDog
• Ability to earn rewards for your favorite bars by paying in DrinkTV Coin/Cryptocurrency when you visit
• The plan is for the DrinkTV Coin/Cryptocurrency to be a minable token that plays a key role in supporting DrinkTV’s efforts to create a connected community of fans who will help decentralize online video
• Ability to periodically gift a DrinkTV Coin/Cryptocurrency (or portion thereof) to a friend, with which they can gain access to exclusive content or get discounts on drinks from participating bars/breweries
• Participation in a gamified program where users are incentivized to use their coins in more locations to earn status
• Discounts from partner brands