Showtime's "Strikeforce: All Access" Online Interactive TV Service to Be Offered Internationally

BitGravity--a company which offers a content delivery network (CDN) that it bills as optimized for delivering HD-quality video live, on-demand and via interactive applications--contacted [itvt] Tuesday to let us know that "Strikeforce: All Access," an online interactive TV service which, in partnership with Episodic, it powers for premium programmer, Showtime Networks, will this Saturday for the first time be available to an international audience. The service--which has hitherto been available only to US audiences and which was previously offered on April 11th in conjunction with a bout between Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz, and on June 6th in conjunction with a bout between Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields--supplements Showtime's live linear-TV coverage of Strikeforce-promoted Mixed Martial Arts events with simultaneous, interactive, pay-per-view online streaming of those events. According to BitGravity, it will now be available to MMA fans in Brazil, Japan, Europe and Canada, in addition to the US.

Priced at $24.95, "Strikeforce: All Access" allows viewers to toggle between five live cameras (and their respective audio feeds) with full pause and rewind capabilities, including the "CageCam," a small, high-quality camera worn by the referee. Other features include a live Twitter feed from the event that will feature behind-the-scenes commentary from event and Showtime Sports staff (viewers are encouraged to use their own Twitter accounts to interact with the feed); a Facebook Connect application that will allow viewers to make predictions, comment on the live fights, discuss outcomes and "talk a little smack" on the Strikeforce: All Access Web page; and professional and amateur photos of the fights, fan interaction and backstage that will be uploaded throughout the event via Flickr. The service's purchase price includes on-demand access to its streams through August 20th.