Next Generation Platform Adds Application Bundles, Mobile Support

ON24, Inc., the global leader in webcasting and virtual event solutions, announced today ON24 Webcasting Platform 10, its next-generation platform for enterprise communications. The open ON24 Platform 10 redefines webcasting and virtual communications by allowing users to personalize webcasts and third parties to build custom webcasting applications. With Platform 10, viewers can more easily consume content, interact with webcast presenters and network with other webcast participants, creating a more immersive end user experience. 

ON24 Webcasting Platform 10 highlights include:

• Personalization: Platform 10 maximizes webcast impact by allowing the audience to customize their experiences, based on individual preferences. With greater control and many options, webcasts become more engaging.

• Widget Development Environment: ON24 Webcasting Platform 10 includes a cloud-based widget framework that enables the integration of any type of Flash application into any webcast. Using open APIs, widgets can be built by ON24 or third-party developers. Over 50 widgets are currently available for Webcasting Platform 10.

• Application Bundles: Platform 10 includes widget bundles which provide functionality for key enterprise applications such as demand generation, collaboration, enterprise communications and corporate training.

• New Video Options: With the release of Webcasting Platform 10, ON24 now supports multi-presenter webcam video for webcasts and advanced Telepresence video for high-profile events. 

• Mobile Delivery: Platform 10 webcasts are supported on various mobile devices. 

• Multilingual Webcasts: ON24 Platform 10 is UTF-8 compliant and supports double-byte character sets. Its page-building and customization tools allow for 100% localized user interfaces, system checks and email communications.

The results of ON24's initial audience research, a random sampling across 100 webcasts with over 25,000 attendees, indicate an overwhelming preference for ON24 Webcasting Platform 10 webcasts compared to traditional webcasts.

• Close to 90% of the respondents rated the overall experience as better than other webcast experiences
• 80% preferred the ability to customize their webcasts and the greater control provided by the new platform
• Access to social networking tools was the most popular feature of nearly 40% of the respondents

According to Roopam Jain, Frost & Sullivan Industry Director, "ON24 achieved the market leadership position in this industry through a variety of initiatives, and Webcasting Platform 10 is a key example of the company's ability to leverage technology to sustain a leadership position."

Tim Stark, Penton Media Director of Online Events, offered the following feedback. "As a producer of hundreds of webcasts annually that serve up content in multiple markets, the ability of a software provider to allow the flexibility to customize an event, not only for a specific market, but, more importantly, for a specific client, is vital. The ability to produce a webcast with an interface that is not a 'cookie-cutter' application is what makes our events stand out. ON24's platform will allow extensive visual customizations to our events and provide flexible functionality, all within a single technology."

"This next-generation platform redefines the virtual communications category, changing the flat, one-way webcast engagement paradigm to an immersive and interactive audience experience," explained Sharat Sharan, ON24 CEO. "This is truly a new paradigm, available to our global customers and partners with our continued commitment to unparalleled reliability, scale and customer service."

About ON24 Webcasting Platform 10

Application Bundles

New widgets developed for ON24 Webcasting Platform 10 are typically available in widget bundles.

• Social Media: The Platform 10 Social Media bundle includes Web 2.0 and social networking tools, including Twitter, Wikipedia, Facebook, LinkedIn and RSS feeds.

• Collaboration: The Collaboration bundle includes widgets for group chat and brainstorming. ON24's brainstorming widget solicits ideas from webcast attendees and allows all participants to rank and prioritize the ideas for later review.

• Training: For corporate training applications, Webcasting Platform 10 provides testing, certification, curriculum management and LMS integration. 

Support for Mobile Tablets and Phones

With Webcasting Platform 10, ON24 launches a comprehensive mobile product strategy for making webcasts available on all leading mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, Android devices and Win7 phones. ON24's mobile on-demand webcasts and mobile non-streaming webcasts are currently available on all devices.

Application Demos in Webcasts

With the release of Webcasting Platform 10, ON24 launches its new Screen Share capability, which allows application demonstrations to a large number of webcast participants. Any number of presenters can use Screen Share within a webcast, and any desktop or online application can be shared with the webcast audience, with no downloads required.

Next Generation Webcast Analytics

ON24 Webcasting Platform 10 includes new graphical reporting dashboards and real-time analytics tools to help measure event success and qualify leads. With this enhanced marketing intelligence, ON24 clients can easily track campaign ROI, measure the effectiveness of their content and analyze the engagement levels of audience members.

New Types of Video Webcasts

According to ON24 market research, video webcasts yield a higher number of registrations, attract 24% more attendees and retain attendees 25% longer. Accordingly, with the release of Webcasting Platform 10, ON24 is adding new sources for video webcasts: webcams and Telepresence. ON24 webcasts can now use webcams to deliver high-fidelity video to thousands of webcast participants. With Telepresence, webcasts with studio-quality video can be delivered conveniently from a company's headquarters.

ON24 Webcasting Platform 10 is a complete Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering; no deployment resources are required. Because the ON24 webcasting platform resides in the cloud, customers can build solutions quickly and efficiently, without the need for IT intervention and support. ON24 customers can either provision webcast events themselves or engage with ON24 for a turnkey service package.

For more information on the benefits of ON24 Webcasting Platform 10, visit http://www.on24.com/products/webcasting. For pricing information, call 1-877-202-9599.

About ON24, Inc.
The recognized global market share leader, ON24 provides webcasting and virtual environments for corporate communications and demand generation. ON24 offers fully integrated, enterprise-wide solutions for applications ranging from partner expos, user conferences and trade shows to training and company town hall meetings. More than 750 organizations, including IBM, Cisco, CA Technologies, Merck, AstraZeneca, Fiserv, Credit Suisse, GE and Oracle, rely on ON24. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices throughout the world. For more information, visit www.ON24.com.