HitBliss was an online service that consisted of two applications: HitBliss Earn and HitBliss Store.[1] In HitBliss Earn, users opted in and selected targeted ads to consume on their own schedule. In exchange for their verified time and attention, users received payment.[2] Earnings could be used to purchase entertainment (e.g., movies, TV episodes, and Pandora One Subscriptions) via the HitBliss Store application.[3] Users could stream movies and TV shows in HitBliss application. The service is available to subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, as well as other countries.[4]
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
Type of site | Streaming media |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Founder(s) | Sharon Peyer Andrew Prihodko |
| URL | www |
| Current status | Defunct |
Formerly, it competed with Hulu and Netflix, but the company stated that their video on demand (VOD) application was an effort to prove the viability of the HitBliss earned-payment method. The HitBliss earned-payment method was positioned as an alternative to credit cards or PayPal so that consumers could purchase a variety of items, including apps, games, and music, with their earned cash.[5] In September 2013, HitBliss announced an agreement with Pandora Music, which allowed HitBliss users to purchase $3.99/month Pandora One subscriptions with their earned-cash.[6]
HitBliss had deals with three film 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.[7]
The company was based in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA and was founded in 2008 by Sharon Peyer and Andrew Prihodko.[8] HitBliss was privately backed by Alpond Capital.[9]
On 6 May 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 that was applied toward movies or videos.[10]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Carmody, Tim (2013-03-01). "With HitBliss, viewers earn money for 'free' movies and TV by watching personalized ads". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ Colao, J.J. (March 1, 2013). "Watch Ads, Get Paid: Is This The Future Of Ad-Supported Content?". Forbes.
- ^ "Pandora". Hitbliss.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-15. 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. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.