TV4 Entertainment is a well-pedigreed LA-based startup positioning itself as a creator and super-distributor of multiple online niche channels. Today the company is announcing a deal with Cinebx, whose library contains 10,000+ titles will power a minimum of 6 co-owned online channels, beginning with one focused on classic sports.

Recently I caught up Jon Cody, founder and CEO of TV4, to learn more about the company's strategy. Jon was previously SVP, Digital for Fox Digital Media and launch GM of Hulu, so he knows his way around programming and digital distribution very well, as does the rest of the founding team.

Jon explained that TV4's core mission is to bring TV-style, channel-centric orderliness to the chaotic online video world, by aligning the interests of content creators, distributors and viewers. Jon said there's no shortage of creators intrigued by online, but as they explore their options, many find a messy landscape, with poor viewer discovery mechanisms and uncertain payoffs.

On the other side, Jon believes online-only distributors are hungry for well-defined channels that can deliver audiences and power monetization. When both sides of the equation are well-served, viewers benefit from a more familiar and easily accessible experience.

To execute on its vision, TV4 has built a platform for ingest, metadata management, transcoding, packaging and super-distributing content. Jon said TV4 has been able to build the platform inexpensively by leveraging open source and the cloud. There's a heavy emphasis on asset-level tracking and transparency, so both creators and distributors know how each piece of content is performing and can adjust strategy accordingly. Jon noted that data-driven programming optimization is a key TV4 goal (this is something Netflix has excelled at).

TV4 is actively licensing content with a plan to build out 10 niche channels in the next few months. The first to launch was DoComTV, a documentary channel on Hulu. Coming soon is the military-focused All Warrior Network. Jon said content deals are typically non-exclusive and ad revenue share based. TV4 is also open to joint venture projects with content owners. One TV4 differentiator is access to a 25,000 foot rent free studio facility in the LA area which its content partners can use.

On the distribution side, TV4 is in active discussions with all the big device companies and aggregators. It already has a deal with Net2TV, whose Portico service targets connected TVs. Jon said TV4 will distribute through YouTube as a feeder to drive audiences back to channel-branded destinations.

TV4 has an ambitious agenda, but its core belief that online video is currently too chaotic to optimally serve its various constituencies is right on. The team has a ton of experience in all the right areas and it will be fun to watch them execute.

Note: Jon Cody will be speaking at BroadbandTV Con in Hollywood on Wednesday, Nov. 6th on a panel "Audience Development, Programming and Distribution Strategies in the Broadband TV Era." VideoNuze readers get $75 off conference registration using the code "VideoNuze."