Online video tech company Vimeo said it has joined the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) as a promoter member.

The move adds IAC-owned Vimeo to the backers of AV1, a new royalty-free video codec that is billed as being at least 30% more efficient than current-gen codecs such as HEVC and VP9. Some big names behind AV1 include Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft.

AV1 made its big splash at last month’s NAB show in Las Vegas.

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Though hardware support for AV1 considered to be about two years away, much of the early implementations will be via software in browsers. The bulk of AV1 use cases will also center on OTT video, making it a good fit for Vimeo’s platform.

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"Vimeo is excited and proud to join the Alliance for Open Media,” Naren Venkataraman, head of technology at Vimeo, said in a statement. “We look forward to working alongside AOMedia members to shape the next-generation codec that will unify the industry and fundamentally improve video experiences for creators and viewers everywhere."

"We’re pleased to welcome Vimeo to the Alliance for Open Media, reflecting the importance of online and live streaming engagement to achieve broad industry adoption," added Gabe Frost, a Microsoft exec who is also executive director for the Alliance for Open Media. "We look forward to Vimeo's contributions to this significant initiative, which will open the door to a new era of openness and interoperability for internet video."