HitBliss
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
Type of site | Streaming media |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Lexington, MA, US |
| Founder(s) | Sharon Peyer & Andrew Prihodko |
| Website | www.HitBliss.com |
| Current status | Private Beta |
HitBliss was an online service that consists of two applications: HitBliss Earn and HitBliss Store.[1] In HitBliss Earn, users opt in and select targeted ads to consume on their own schedule. In exchange for their verified time and attention, users earn real cash.[2] Earned-cash can be used to purchase entertainment (e.g., movies, TV episodes, and Pandora One Subscriptions) via the HitBliss Store application.[3] Since users can stream movies and TV shows in HitBliss Store, it currently competes with the likes of Hulu and Netflix, but the company states that their video on demand (VOD) application is merely an effort to prove the HitBliss earned-payment method. The HitBliss earned-payment method is being positioned as an alternative to credit cards or Paypal so that consumers will eventually be able to purchase a variety of items, including apps, games, and music, with their earned cash.[4] In September 2013, HitBliss announced an agreement with Pandora Music, which allows HitBliss users to purchase $3.99/month Pandora One subscriptions with their earned-cash.[5]
HitBliss currently has deals with three of the six major studios (Warner Bros., Paramount, and Universal) as well as Starz to offer Hollywood movies in the DVD/transactional VOD window and EST TV episodes the day after they air.[6]
The company is based in Lexington, MA and was founded in 2008 by entrepreneurs Sharon Peyer and Andrew Prihodko.[7] HitBliss is privately backed by Alpond Capital.[8]
As of May 6, 2014, HitBliss wrote on their blog that the service will be suspended while post-beta preparations are completed. Users who had a current balance were given the option to redeem their account balance as an Amazon Gift Card. These preparations are expected to take "a few months," according to the blog announcement.[9]
References
- ↑ Fiegerman, Seth (March 1, 2013). "HitBliss Lets You Pay for Movies and TV Shows by Watching Ads". Mashable.
- ↑ Osborn, John R. "Waste-Free Ad Spending: Hitbliss' Dramatic New Business Model". MediaPost.
- ↑ Boehret, Katherine. "Trusty Viewers Get Free Video With Ad 'Work'". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Colao, J.J. (March 1, 2013). "Watch Ads, Get Paid: Is This The Future Of Ad-Supported Content?". Forbes.
- ↑ "Pandora". Hitbliss.com. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ↑ Carmody, Tim (March 1, 2013). "With HitBliss, viewers earn money for 'free' movies and TV by watching personalized ads". The Verge.
- ↑ Edes, Alyssa (March 19, 2013). "Lexington start-up pays users to watch targeted ads". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ Giardina, Carolyn. "HitBliss to Launch Movie and TV Streaming Service". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Hitbliss beta update/". Hitbliss.com. May 6, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.