Blinkx puts video search in set-top boxes

Blinkx aims to make its video search engine available on TV through a partnership with Miniweb, a firm that makes interactive services for set-top boxes. The deal promises to make Blinkx's 35m hours of indexed videos available to TV viewers and will establish Blinkx's technology as a default search tool for millions of web-connected set-top boxes.

Miniweb currently provides next-generation TV services to more than 9m homes in the UK, supplying interactive software for Sky's set-top boxes. The platform delivers broadband entertainment and allows targeted, web-style advertising to be brought to the TV.

The new deal will offer a single search point for online videos, a major coup over rival online video hubs such as Google-owned YouTube. Blinkx logs user-generated and professional TV content and has more than 450 content partners, including YouTube, Reuters and ITN.

Under the terms of the agreement, Miniweb will also use Blinkx's recommendation, targeting and personalisation tools as part of its online services platform. As well as adding more social tools, this will let Miniweb "recommend specific catch-up TV content based directly on the viewing context of their audience", claims company founder Ian Valentine.

"Combining broadcast and broadband TV will provide audiences with access to an incredibly rich and diverse universe of video content," says Blinkx CEO Suranga Chandratillake.

The deal comes as more TV manufacturers work to establish built-in web connectivity and follows the successful launch of the BBC's iPlayer, Channel 4's 4oD and ITV's on demand catch-up services through Virgin Media.