OVGuide

OVGuide was positioned as a comprehensive discovery engine for online video content, founded by Dale Bock in 2006 and headquartered in Los Angeles. The company's primary service, OVGuide.com, functioned as an aggregator, enabling users to search for and discover free-to-watch, high-quality online videos, including full-length movies and TV shows, from a multitude of sources. Rather than hosting content directly, OVGuide operated as a search engine that indexed editorially reviewed video sites, directing users to the content's location.

The business model was primarily ad-supported, generating revenue through advertisements displayed to its user base, which at its peak reportedly reached 12 million unique monthly visitors. In a strategic expansion of its business model, OVGuide later introduced a proprietary, end-to-end video streaming solution for content owners and distributors. This service enabled partners to launch their own branded ad-supported (AVOD) or subscription-based (SVOD) over-the-top (OTT) services, with OVGuide managing the technology and monetization. Key milestones for the company include securing over $9.5 million in venture capital funding from backers like Baroda Ventures, reaching profitability in early 2009, and being named a Top 10 Best Website of the year by Time Magazine. The company also made strategic acquisitions, including Live Matrix in early 2012, to enhance its capabilities in scheduling and discovering live web content.

OVGuide also developed applications for iOS, Android, and Roku, which were downloaded over 3 million times, and monetized a network of channels on the Roku platform. Following a series of strategic shifts, including a deeper focus on providing AVOD content directly and powering OTT services for partners like FilmRise, the company's journey as an independent entity concluded in May 2016. FOTV Media Networks Inc. acquired OVGuide for over $10 million, with the intention of integrating its services into the FOTV ecosystem, which included CinemaNow, to create a more extensive online entertainment solution.