Online video streaming has been dominated by sites such as YouTube and Twitch for the past few years. While such platforms offer a good deal of content, they also act as a bottleneck for video distribution. Creators often find their videos demonetized for no reason or earn pennies on the dollar from intrusive advertising. It all can change with Flixxo, a new Blockchain-based application developed by the founders of RST and PopCorn Time that is offering an open and democratic platform for online video distribution and consumption. The next evolutionary step in online video streaming begins with the Flixxo token sale that kicks off on October 24th, 2017.
Creating a Decentralized Video Marketplace
Flixxo brings the innovation of smart contracts enabled by Blockchain technology, along with the power of peer-to-peer file sharing, to radically change the face of online video streaming. This is done through the use of the platform’s tokens, Flixx. Creators upload their content to the platform and then use a smart contract to determine the cost in Flixx users will pay to watch their video. However, creators also allocate a percentage of earnings gained with those users who are willing to seed the content as part of the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing network. This system removes the need for exorbitantly expensive servers to store the content. In addition, advertising is very non-intrusive on Flixxo. Advertisers buy Flixx from content creators and then create a smart contract to determine how much they will pay users to watch their ads. Users choose to watch advertising to gain Flixx, which is used to buy more videos. The result is a thriving financial ecosystem where everybody gains.
According to Rodrigo Saiegh, executive producer at FAV! Media, a company producing social network content for HBO, Sony and MTV,
“There are a bunch of new trends on digital content production, looking for disruption on digital distribution. By growing up an economy for teenagers and milennials, Flixxo will develop new business opportunities for such content.”
Flixxo is the brainchild of Adrian Garelik, one of the co-founders of RSK (Rootstock), the smart contracts platform on top of bitcoin, who happens to be also a filmmaker. He saw how Bitcoin and Blockchain technology could be harnessed to create a new decentralized platform for social video distribution. Other partners joined him to help fulfill his desire to create Flixxo. Federico Abad, the man behind Popcorn Time, one of the most heralded streaming services ever, was the first to join the team. Next was the cryptocurrency expert who built up the popular Riecoin virtual currency: Pablo Carbajo. Finally, the team was joined by Javier D’Ovidio, who is the CEO of Edrans, an international company that focuses on artificial intelligence and big data.
Flixxo Token Crowdsale
The Flixxo token crowdsale is slated to begin on October 24th, 2017. This sale will last for 30 days, and a total of 300,000,000 Flixx will be released for purchase. Interested parties can purchase Flixx with ETH, and 1 Flixx is worth 0.00025 ETH. This means that 1 ETH equals 4000 Flixx. Those who buy early during the Flixxo token sale can enjoy substantial discounts. These discounts are: 30% for buying within the first 24 hours, 25% for buying within days 2 to 7, 20% for days 8 to 14, 15% for days 15 to 21, and then 10% for days 22 to 30.
Overall, there will be one billion Flixx tokens issued. 300,000,000 (30%) of these will be sold during the Flixxo crowdsale that begins October 24th, 2017. 100,000,000 (10%) will be held by the company to cover the costs of the token sale, bounty program, advisors, and future partnerships with content creators. Flixx held for creator partnerships will never be cashed out but instead held as a bulwark while creators strive to earn additional tokens by uploading more content. Another 100,000,000 (10%) of the total Flixx will be allocated to the platform’s development team and partners. Finally, the remaining 500,000,000 (50%) Flixx will be issued in a predetermined manner to encourage content creators and users to flock to Flixxo and make the decentralized video streaming hub a vibrant social construct and thriving economy.
The Future of Video Streaming
Federico Abad, the creator of the legendary Popcorn Time, says,
“Video streaming is the online content of choice for hundreds of millions of people. Sadly, the current online giants are mired in old technological models of viewing and distribution, and many content creators find themselves with little to no say in how their work is viewed or even rewarded. Flixxo offers a democratic, open platform where creators can chart their own destiny and not be constrained by some giant, overbearing corporate entity. Users benefit by enjoying videos of the highest quality as well as being part of the dynamic peer-to-peer network. The incredible power of the Blockchain has been recognized by many industries, but so far, cinematic-centric businesses have not acted upon this revolutionary new technology. Flixxo seeks to change this fact and create a social online video system where everybody wins.”
The model of online video streaming will change dramatically once the Flixxo token sale begins on October 24th, 2017. The future roadmap for the decentralized social video hub includes integrating with other video platforms and the creation of the Flixx exchange and Flixxo Marketplace (Q4 2018). After that, the developers plan on integrating Flixxo with other gaming, marketplace, and music platforms (Q1 2019).
Flixxo has gathered a tremendous group of partners to help ensure that the social video distribution application reaches its full potential. These partners include the following: RSK Labs (open source contract platform), Icofunding (personalized platform for managing ICOs), WINGS (bringing DAOs to the mainstream), AdEx (decentralized ad exchange), CoinFabrik (specializing in technical expertise in cryptocurrencies and Blockchain development), Stremio (one-stop hub for video content aggregation), Fav!, and Popcorn Time.