The Interactive Media Peer Group of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has issued a call for entries for its 2006-2007 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Television. The Interactive Media Peer Group describes its remit as "enabling the Television Academy membership to recognize emerging television programming formats, innovations by television networks, and groundbreaking new television services that include participatory interactive features that enhance the traditional television experience." The Television Academy awarded its first ITV Emmys in 2002.
The Academy's 2006-2007 interactive TV Emmy Awards will recognize excellence in two areas of competition:
- Outstanding Creative Achievement for an Interactive Television Program or Series. (Note: for the purposes of the awards, the Academy defines an interactive television program as "a single show, originally aired or transmitted during the eligibility year that is delivered via broadcast, cable, satellite, broadband, or mobile networks, and that incorporates one or more participatory interactive features that enhance the viewing experience"; it defines an interactive television series as "episodic programming that has been or continues to be available during the eligibility year and delivered via broadcast, cable, satellite, broadband, or mobile networks, incorporating participatory interactive features that enhance the viewing experience.")
- Outstanding Creative Achievement for an Interactive Television Service. (Note: for the purposes of the awards, the Academy defines an interactive television service as "a television network or other distributor of programming offering one or more participatory interactive features that enhance the viewing experience across a range of programs or series, and that have been or continues to be available during the eligibility year and delivered via broadcast, cable, satellite, broadband, or mobile networks.")
To qualify for consideration for the awards, an interactive TV program, series or service must have been commercially deployed in the US between June 1st, 2006 and May 31st, 2007 (i.e. during the "eligibility year" referred to in the Academy's description of the award categories). The deadline for entries is May 31st.
Entries will be evaluated according to three main criteria:
- "User experience," by which the Academy says it means "visual design, information architecture, and depth of viewer experience enhancement."
- "Efficacy," by which the Academy says it means the extent to which an entry realizes "stated project objectives and goals."
- "Advancement of the state of interactive television," by which the Academy says it means the uniqueness of an entry's features and functionality, whether it is a "significant catalyst" to future design and development efforts, and whether it provides an "impetus for future investment in interactive television programming and services."
Additional information, together with an entry form, can be found at http://www.emmys.tv/interactive
The Academy's interactive TV Emmys are overseen and managed by the Interactive Media Peer Group's Primetime Emmy Awards Working Group, which for 2006-2007 is comprised of Geoff Katz and Suzanne Stefanac (co-chairs); Joanna Drake Earl, Alexis Rapo, Richard Cardran, David Feldstein, Adrian Sexton, Suzanne Dunn, Stephen Johnson, Bill Via, Seth Shapiro, Melinda Moore, Brian Black, Jaime Levy Russell, Alex Liston, Ed Davis, Kamron Hinatsu, Bill Niemeyer, John Gilles, Donna Slote, Sanjit Das, Damon Berger, David Gale and Will Kreth. The Interactive Media Peer Group's co-governors are David Jensen and Marcelino Ford-Livene.
Originally Published: April 9, 2007 in [itvt] Issue 7.25
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