RipeTV was the first Television On Demand network to offer programming over multiple platforms (e.g. wireless devices, over cable VOD, and over a broadband internet connection). The network, which launched in 2002 by Ryan Magnussen, targeted an audience of 18-34 males, with mostly short-form content. Programming ended in June 2009.[1][2]
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RipeTV was available to viewers free-of-cost at their broadband internet site. It was also available on cable VOD through Comcast, Time Warner and various other MSOs as well as on wireless devices like iPods, and on video-capable cell phones (NOTE: RipeTV's claim to be the first multi-platform network is more of a marketing pitch than a technological truth, as CNN and many other major networks were doing the same prior to RipeTV's launch, but perhaps the distinction would be that the traditional media firms were not developed and launched with this multi-platform purpose as their guiding principle). By offering content on demand over multiple platforms, RipeTV catered to the A.D.D. consumers in the age of digital media.
Online video and video-on-demand provider Ripe Digital Entertainment has closed its doors and is currently seeking a sale, despite raising nearly $45 million in venture funding since its founding in 2004, says paidContent.org.
RipeTV composed of short-form (5 to 15 minutes) programs that appear without traditional commercials, in non-linear form and were offered On Demand so that viewers begin and end programs at will. Subject matter was geared toward a masculine audience and includes a number of shows centered on models, extreme sports, cartoons, music, and comedy.