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The First Annual ITV All-Stars Reunion and Awards for Leadership in Interactive Television

On the evening of Monday, May 3rd, at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's (NCTA) National Show in New Orleans, [itvt] teamed with the NCTA to hold the first annual ITV All-Stars Reunion and to present the first annual Awards for Leadership in Interactive Television. While estimates varied, the consensus seemed to be that the standing-room-only event attracted anywhere from 300 to 500 attendees--a sure sign of the US cable industry's growing interest in interactive television. Attendees were able to re-connect with old colleagues and make new contacts, while enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres and viewing video of pioneering ITV projects (including QUBE, Full Service Network, DIVA OnSet, AT&T/Viacom Castro Valley, Showtime Anytime, Interactive Channel, NetChannel, WebTV, Wink, and more) on monitors placed throughout the room, as well as demonstrations of new ITV technologies, products and services.

After 45 minutes or so, the lights were dimmed and the Leadership Awards ceremony began. [itvt] founder and editor-in-chief, Tracy Swedlow, gave a short opening address (see below) and played a video that [itvt] produced, showcasing QUBE, FSN and other early ITV projects. She then introduced Steve Heeb, VP of product and business development at Comcast, who gave a keynote presentation outlining the progress that US cable MSO's are making towards the universal deployment of ITV. Heeb argued that, while the US cable industry has made great progress in deploying EPG's and what he termed "video-centric" forms of ITV, such as VOD and PVR, there are roughly 5 stages that the industry will have to go through before "traditional" ITV applications, information services and games, are widely deployed: he termed the stages "Decide," "Design," "Do Deals," "Build," and "Deploy." He said that most operators have now reached the deal-making stage, and that he anticipated widespread development and deployment of ITV applications on US cable networks would take place at the end of 2004 or during 2005. Among other things, he called on the ITV industry to work on improving the user interfaces for VOD, PVR and other ITV services, stressed the importance of standards, and called for more communication between cable operators, technologists and broadcasters. He concluded by calling on the cable industry to take advantage of the various technological advantages which it already enjoys (particularly the return-path capabilities of its platform) in order to lead the introduction of ITV, instead of waiting for Wall Street or for competition from the satellite-TV industry to force it into embracing the new medium.

[itvt]'s Swedlow then introduced the presenters of the Awards, who included representatives of the cable and ITV-software industries, as well as of several organizations that have played key roles in fostering the growth of ITV in the US. The presenters were Shelly Palmer, co-chairman of the Advanced Media Committee of the National Television Academy; Alison Dollar, co-president of the ITV Alliance; Marcia Zellers, director of enhanced TV at the American Film Institute, Jeff Jay, VP of product development at Charter; Ed Burakowski, VP of strategic sales at NDS, and Comcast's Heeb.

A list of the recipients of the first annual Awards for Leadership in Interactive Television, together with descriptions of their many achievements, is below. The recipients were chosen by an international panel of 26 judges (a list of the judges is below) from over 160 Leadership Award nominees submitted by [itvt] readers. As Swedlow explained in her opening address, while [itvt] had originally planned to give out 5 awards, the final vote was so close that we decided that it would be appropriate to expand the number of awards to 7. Nevertheless, we were not able to recognize many other very deserving individuals who have contributed greatly to the interactive television medium. We hope to see these people honored with ITV Leadership Awards in the coming years.

The event was made possible by generous sponsorship from the following companies:

The Award Recipients

Below is a list of the recipients of the first annual Awards for Leadership in Interactive Television, together with a description of their achievements, and some comments on those achievements from the [itvt] readers who nominated them.

Dale Herigstad, Executive Creative Director, Schematic
--Award Presented by Tracy Swedlow

Dale Herigstad has been called by some "the first ITV artist." During his 12-year career in interactive TV, he led the user-experience and interface design of a number of pioneering projects, including Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network (FSN), TCI's First Screen project, Go2Net's TV implementation, and IXL's MoreTV. More recently, he has worked on ITV projects for Comcast and Cablevision (his redesign of the user interface of Cablevision's iO digital cable service is set to debut shortly). He has also been very active in the American Film Institute's Enhanced TV Workshop, producing ITV prototypes for the Turner Classic Movies Channel, and the shows Arli$$ and Battlestar Galactica. At Schematic, the design firm he co-founded in November, 2002 with Richard Titus and Paul Taormino (note: the company recently merged with The Content Project: the merged entity will retain the name "Schematic"), Herigstad has led development of ITV applications to accompany CSI, Survivor Africa, and Life360. Throughout his career, his goal has been to transform ITV into a "rich," highly visual medium, consistent with the traditional TV experience: as part of ongoing experimentation he is conducting at Sony's research division in San Jose, he has produced working models of "rich media" ITV applications that utilize spatial navigation and real-time composition. He has also conducted pioneering design work around the ongoing extension of television to devices such as mobile phones. Below are some comments on Herigstad's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"Dale is a unique creative talent with a particular affinity for ITV. He also happens to have worked on pretty much every important ITV project in history. If he's not a leader in this industry, who is? Certainly the leaders aren't a few businessmen who think they can profit on ITV because they read about it in the Wall Street Journal, but the people who are coming up with the great interactive television experiences that will make the medium worthwhile."

"Dale has been the single most influential designer in the ITV world. Aside from having an amazing design sense, he has a sensitivity and insight into user experience and usability like no other. You can tell Dale's work instantly because it is beautiful and elegant, intuitive and inviting. You want to use it!"

"Dale is not only one of the most creative designers in interactive TV, but he is also one of the most experienced. His leading-edge designs for user interface date back even before Full Service Network (one of the most creative designs for ITV ever and Dale created it). Dozens of clients later, he still remains one of the hottest designers in the world."

"Dale is the absolute master of pushing the creative envelope, while keeping an emphasis on an engaging user experience and intuitive functionality."

Rick Mandler, Vice President & General Manager, ABC Enhanced TV
--Award Presented by Shelly Palmer

Rick Mandler has built up an impressive track record of achievement since taking charge of ABC's interactive TV efforts in 2001. During his tenure, ABC has led the "big 4" US terrestrial broadcast networks in rolling out ITV, enhancing high-profile programs with interactive applications for a variety of platforms, including set-top boxes, Internet-connected PC's, and SMS-enabled mobile phones. Notable applications produced under Mandler's leadership include those that have accompanied ABC's coverage of the Academy Awards and the Daytime Emmy's for the past few years, as well as multiple seasons of the popular show, Monday Night Football. As a result of his efforts, his group's work has received wide recognition from the television industry at large, and has been nominated twice for an Emmy Award. Among other contributions, Mandler has been a strong supporter of the American Film Institute's influential Enhanced TV Workshop (in 2003, he led the team that developed the "Celebrity Mole II" ITV prototype, the first prototype from the Workshop to see actual deployment, and the first deployed ITV application on the Windows Media Center platform), and has helped evangelize ITV by speaking at numerous conferences and other industry events. Below are some comments on Mandler's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"When every other network was closing or scaling back their ITV operations, Rick Mandler found a way to keep ABC Enhanced TV growing. His group stands out as innovators both in ITV programming and technology, and were nominated for Emmy's in both categories."

"The ABC Enhanced Television initiatives and the ABC-Media Center Celebrity Mole program with AFI set the industry standard for innovation and thought leadership."

"Mr. Mandler is an extraordinary leader with a vast knowledge of ITV. He heads one of the most successful working departments in the business and is a seasoned veteran. An excellent candidate!"

Tim Hanlon, SVP/Director of Emerging Contacts at Starcom MediaVest Group
--Award Presented by Alison Dollar

For the past few years, Tim Hanlon has been leading efforts to introduce the advertising community to interactive television. He heads up advertising agency Starcom MediaVest's "TV 2.0" practice, which is designed to help clients understand and take advantage of new TV technologies--including single- and 2-screen ITV applications, EPG's and addressable advertising, as well as technologies such as PVR and VOD that are often seen as a threat to TV advertising. Under Hanlon's leadership, the TV 2.0 practice has matched a roster of blue-chip advertisers that includes Allstate, Best Buy, Discover Card, Kellogg, Kraft, Nintendo, General Motors, Proctor & Gamble, Sara Lee/Hanes, Walt Disney World and others with 1) VOD content providers and system operators, such as Scripps Networks, ESPN, Turner, TechTV, Cox, Comcast and Time Warner Cable; 2) interactive TV platforms such as Wink/OpenTV, MSN TV, Navic, GoldPocket, and Disney-ABC Enhanced TV; and 3) the TiVo DVR platform, on which it has conducted over a dozen campaigns. The practice has also carried out significant work in areas such as measurement and business modeling of non-linear TV advertising, and is now actively exploring the new marketing opportunities presented by datacasting (e.g. Disney's MovieBeam service), non-TiVo PVR, and addressable-advertising technologies. In addition to his work at Starcom, Hanlon serves as chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies' (AAAA) Advanced Television Committee, in which role he has led the organization's efforts to develop standards for measuring non-linear TV advertising. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Innovation in Digital Advertising (IDiA) consortium, and a member of the New York chapter of the National Television Academy. Below are some comments on Hanlon's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"Tim is bringing together MSO's, clients, agencies and networks around a bigger picture for ITV."

"Tim has shown tireless work on evangelizing the opportunities inherent for advertisers in advanced TV. He has also led the effort by the AAAA to develop measurement standards, a key to being able to monetize advanced TV advertising in any significant way."

Vincent Dureau, Chief Technology Officer, OpenTV
--Award Presented by Marcia Zellers

A native of France, Vincent Dureau began his career in 1984 in the research department of Paris-based TV technology giant, Thomson, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles to head up the company's research-and-development efforts in the US. In the early 1990's, he was one of a small group of people who started a Thomson subsidiary that would eventually become OpenTV. He emerged as the driving force behind the development of OpenTV's middleware, being responsible, among other things, for assembling the company's widely respected engineering team (note: many of the members of the team Dureau assembled in the early 1990's are still with OpenTV today, which in itself is a testament to his leadership): the company secured its first large customer, TPS, in 1996, and secured BSkyB as a customer in 1997. Among Dureau's many contributions to the digital television industry in general are his work at Thomson in the early 1990's on video compression and on the development of the first digital satellite-TV system, DirecTV. Below are some comments on Dureau's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"Vincent is one of the 'good ole boys' of ITV. He has been a 'rock' at OpenTV, providing them with both vision and stable technical/engineering guidance through the years."

"A pioneer in the ITV space; a visionary and incredibly talented and energetic leader."

"Vincent has been a pioneer of interactive TV for the past 15 years--creating a dedicated team of developers who have created the most widely deployed interactive TV solution in the world."

Patrick Donoghue, VP of ITV Development & Operations, Digital Product Group, Cablevision
--Award Presented by Jeff Jay

Patrick Donoghue has been working in interactive television for over a decade. He started his ITV career in 1993, as a member of the team behind the AT&T/Viacom Castro Valley Project, designing and building the system user interface and working prototypes of ITV applications for MTV and Showtime. In 1998, he co-founded an interactive entertainment company, Big Band Media, with the goal of conceptualizing and developing ITV and broadband content. Its clients included CBS, Showtime Networks, HBO Studios, and Young & Rubicam. In 2000, he worked as a consultant creative director and user interface producer for WatchPoint Media's interactive MPEG2 technology. During this time, he developed ITV services for Showtime Networks to run on the WebTV, Liberate, and AOLTV platforms. His work with the Sesame Street Workshop was presented at the NAB's 2000 conference during the keynote, "Enhanced TV and Interactivity: Driving the Future of Television." From 2001, Donoghue has been at Cablevision, where he has been instrumental in the conception and development of the ITV components of the MSO's digital platform, Interactive Optimum (iO). iO features up to 14 channels of ITV content from providers such as ESPN, MSG, IFC and Hollywood.com, and was the first US digital cable service to offer set-top box-based gaming. While at Cablevision, Donoghue also helped design and implement the first application deployed by an MSO to allow on-screen upgrades of digital cable offerings: the application has resulted in over 30,000 set-top box orders since its launch in August, 2003. Last year, Donoghue accepted 2 ITV Emmy's that were awarded to Cablevision for the iO service. Below are some comments on Donoghue's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"A leader who guides his department through fun and interactive relationships. Through that, he creates some of the most creative front-end ITV applications within the industry."

"Patrick has continuously proven to be an inspiring and innovative leader, both with the people who work directly with him and the industry at large. His technical knowledge and design creativity, coupled with his ability to drive the people who work with him to think outside the box, make him an outstanding leader deserving of this award. I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with him on several user interface design projects and have the utmost respect for his talents. Patrick's vision of interactive television has made Cablevision a leader in ITV, as acknowledged by the Emmy award bestowed last year for accomplishments in the industry."

"Patrick J. Donoghue has been in the ITV industry for over 10 years, starting with the Castro Valley Project for Viacom. Since then he has shown an amazing dedication to the ITV industry and is especially interested in finding new and innovative ways to use the technology. He is creative, innovative and an amazing guy to work with--which is rare in today's business world. Patrick is humble and understated: he is not about talking the talk, he is about getting the project done and done well. He would rather be in the lab working than out at a corporate event schmoozing. He is a perfect candidate for this award."

Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO, News Corporation
--Award Presented by Ed Burakowski

Under Rupert Murdoch's leadership, News Corporation has played a major role in the emergence of interactive television around the world. It is the majority owner of UK satellite-TV provider, BSkyB, which has not only been one of the principal drivers of the ITV industry in the UK--rolling out numerous news, sports, betting, tcommerce, entertainment, and advertising applications; providing a platform on which other channels and content providers can easily offer their own interactive apps; and driving the uptake of DVR/PVR technology via its Sky+ set-top box--but which has demonstrated that interactive television can be a powerful revenue-generator and churn-buster. News Corp. also owns an 80% stake in NDS, whose Value@TV software enables ITV applications on BSkyB and other cable and satellite networks around the world, and which recently purchased one of the world's leading middleware platforms, MediaHighway (other NDS properties include ITV applications developer, Visionik, and ITV-betting company, Orbis). In addition, News Corp. owns a 43% stake in Gemstar-TV Guide, the dominant EPG developer in the US, and has played a major role in turning that company around after the accounting problems and ensuing government investigations which engulfed it in 2002 and early 2003. One sign of the respect accorded to Murdoch, not only as a leader of the ITV industry but as someone who fully understands the competitive advantages that ITV can provide, is that when it became clear that News Corp. would purchase a controlling stake in US satellite-TV provider, DirecTV, there was almost universal agreement among observers that this would significantly accelerate the roll-out of interactive television in the US, both on DirecTV and on competing satellite and cable platforms. Below are some comments on Murdoch's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"Rupert Murdoch's nomination needs no explanation. He's a visionary above all other visionaries! His proven track record in the interactive television arena speaks for itself. No one strikes fear of competition into the hearts of men quite like Murdoch."

"Under Murdoch's leadership, BSkyB has become one of the largest satellite networks and one of the most proven generators of ITV revenues."

Dr. H. Allen Ecker, EVP, Scientific-Atlanta
--Award Presented by Steve Heeb

Dr. H. Allen Ecker is a pioneer not just of interactive television but of digital television in general. As chief technology officer of Scientific-Atlanta in the early 1990's, he assembled a team to develop a 2-way digital TV cable network. At his direction, the team looked beyond video and audio encoding to implement a system-based approach that delivered a complete 2-way packet network. This system would provide video and audio encoding, as well as conditional access, a digital network control system, and the 2-way signaling needed for ITV. Ecker ensured a standards-based solution by having his team work to develop the DAVIC and DSMCC standards, and he collaborated with other industry leaders to establish MPEG-2 as the cable industry standard for digital video, audio and packet transport. His efforts led to a methodology to define an MPEG system, transport packets, the ITV network structure, conditional access, and signaling between the set-top and the headend. Following the completion of these landmark technical developments and the first MPEG digital system deployment, Scientific-Atlanta was awarded an Emmy for its pioneering efforts in digital television. The technology developed by Ecker's team was part of the technology base for Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network ITV system in Orlando.

Ecker also helped organize and then served as chairman of Scientific-Atlanta's PowerTV subsidiary, which, among other things, developed the PowerTV operating system and the first graphics chip used in Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer set-tops. He was instrumental in the cable industry's adoption of QAM as the standard for digital video modulation, and ensured that VOD was a viable option for cable operators through extensive work with 3rd-party VOD server developers. He also worked with Baron Futa to establish the MPEG Licensing Association (MPEGLA), which is comprised of the companies owning the essential patents behind MPEG. As a result of their efforts, the digital era of television could move forward rapidly with all stakeholders able to make the necessary investments without the risk of intellectual property lawsuits and without exorbitant license fees. Below are some comments on Ecker's achievements submitted by the [itvt] readers who nominated him for a Leadership Award:

"Dr. Ecker was, and is, a visionary within the cable industry. His dedication and success in developing ITV solutions, in launching ITV networks, and in making ITV a viable business for cable MSO's and content providers make him worthy of 'all-star' recognition."

"Ecker has made major contributions to the technological infrastructure that makes ITV possible."

The Judges

An international panel of 26 expert judges selected the 7 Award recipients from over 160 nominations submitted by [itvt] readers. [itvt] would like to thank the following for all the hard work they put in, reading through extensive background materials on each nominee, and carefully weighing their decisions:

Alison Dollar, co-president, ITV Alliance
Alison Green, ITV consultant
Ben Mendelson, co-president, ITV Alliance
Bill Niemeyer, consultant, DiMA Group
Blair Beebe, creative director, Liberate
David Docherty, CEO, YooMedia
Don Dulchinos, VP, advanced platforms and services, CableLabs
Doug Sylvester, COO, TVN Entertainment
Ed Burakowski, VP of strategic sales, NDS
Ed Graczyk, director of marketing, Microsoft TV Platform Group
Elizabeth Sherman, VP of new media, Endemol US
Gil Dudkiewicz, founder & president, MyDTV
Prof. Janet Murray, director of the Graduate Studies Program in
Information Design and Technology, Georgia Tech
Jean de Fougerolles, CEO, Two Way TV
Jim Billmaier, CEO, Digeo
John Gilles, director of ITV, TechTV
Marcia Zellers, director of enhanced TV, AFI
Matthew Kershaw, head of interactive, MTV Networks UK & Ireland
Mike McGrail, president & CEO, ICTV
Neil McDonald, CEO, DITG
Piers Croton, executive director, Sky Sports Active, BSkyB
Raj Amin, VP of business development, N2 Broadband
Simon Gunning, controller of interactive programming, Flextech
Suzanne Dunn, director of ITV services, DirecTV
Tom Hagopian, SVP & GM of programming & advertising, OpenTV
William Corbin, VP of interactive, A&E





Archival Video & Other Materials

Thank you to the following people for generously contributing archival video footage, screenshots, informational materials, and equipment from pioneering ITV systems:

Deron Triff, VP of digital ventures & interactive learning, PBS
Eric Davis, ExtendMedia
John Herne, director of new media, Discovery
John Reed, co-founder & CEO, BlueStreak
Kathy Marshall
Leigh Majors, publicist, Turner Network Sales
Lisa Shankle, VP of ITV & VOD, The Weather Channel
Mary Bishop, NDS
Michael Collette, CEO, Ucentric
Miklos Korodi, formerly general manager of QUBE
Naresh Makhijani, principal, SAVID, LLC
Page Shaper, director of marketing for new products, Charter Communications
VP of ITV Development & Operations, Digital Product Group, Cablevision
Paul Dempsey, president & CEO, Business Solutions Division, Pioneer Electronics
Rick Howe, chief alchemist, Winstone
Steve Perlman, president & CEO, Rearden Studios
Suzanne Rose, producer, Thirteen WNET New York
Tab Noble, Principal, TBN Media Consulting
Tammy Snook, president, HighTech Public Relations
Tyrone Lam, CEO, Buzztime

Special Thanks

Thank you to the following people who helped make the event possible:

Barbara York, chief administrative officer and SVP of industry affairs, NCTA
Kawania Wooten, director of convention services & industry affairs, NCTA
Scott Aikens
Daniel Levy
Kenny Ferguson, partner & strategist, Armchair Media
Tammy Snook, president, HighTech Public Relations
Terry May, SVP, HighTech Public Relations
Heather McCroskey, event coordinator, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of television
and all the readers of [itvt] around the world

Tracy Swedlow's Opening Address

Hello. My name is Tracy Swedlow and I am the founder and editor-in-chief of InteractiveTV Today--generally known as [itvt]--a publication which for the past 7 years has reported on the emergence of interactive television around the world.

Welcome to the first annual ITV All-Stars Reunion and Awards for Leadership in Interactive Television. In a few moments, we will be presenting awards to 7 "ITV All-Stars"--we originally planned to present 5 awards, but 7 individuals emerged as clear leaders in the final voting and so we decided to expand the awards. The awards are not meant to honor interactive TV projects per se, but the pioneers of ITV: those individuals who have fostered the emergence and growth of interactive television--whether by developing the underlying technologies that make interactivity possible, by envisioning new kinds of interactive programming that empower viewers, or by championing the emergence of the medium in general. All have in common that they have demonstrated strong leadership. For although ITV requires the collaboration of many to make it work, nothing would get done if it were not for those few who have consistently taken it upon themselves to conceive, plan, demonstrate, and persuade others of the potential of the medium.

We decided to initiate these awards this year because interactive television is now at a very exciting point: the industry is completing a long period of arduous experimentation that began as early as the mid 70's, and is now moving into a new era of deployment and accelerated development. We felt the time was right to recognize the people who have struggled so hard over the years to bring the medium to where it is today.

We decided that the natural place to hold the awards would be at the NCTA's National Show. While we certainly don't wish to downplay the importance of the role the satellite-TV industry has played in recent years in the emergence of interactive television (many of the final nominees have worked in or with the satellite industry), we wanted to recognize the pioneering role of the cable industry--which, after all, has been experimenting with ITV for nearly 30 years, which has invested billions of dollars into the development of the technologies that underlie the medium, and which now appears ready at long last to take advantage of all that groundwork and roll out interactivity across the board.

One thing I'd very much like to keep sight of as we pause to honor the people who gave rise to interactive television is that that there is more to that medium than industry, technology, and content (to use the categories we divide stories into in the newsletter). Some of you may have seen the interview we published a few weeks ago with Pem Farnsworth, widow of Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of television. One thing Mrs. Farnsworth told me was that her husband's most ardent hope was that television would one day help bring peace to the world because it would allow people to learn about each other's cultures and discover that they weren't all that different after all. What better manifestation of Mr. Farnsworth's vision than interactive television, which not only allows viewers to learn more about the world around them--whether through the increasing range of on-demand content now available to them or through informational applications that help deepen their understanding of a program--but which actually allows them to engage and communicate with other viewers. Let's not forget that we are lucky enough to be working in a medium that actually has the potential to bring positive change to the world.

Before we proceed to the presentation of the Awards, I'd like to recognize a few people who have played key roles in making this event happen:

• Thank you to the [itvt] staff back in San Francisco, the East Coast and the UK--especially Richard Washbourne, my partner and managing editor, who works so hard to keep this publication on track and of high quality.
• Thank you to Barbara York and Kawania Wooten of the NCTA who accepted our proposal so many months ago. Not only did they decide to say "yes," but they decided to sponsor and proactively support our efforts.
• A very big thank you to the sponsors of this event who generously supported our efforts to recognize the pioneers of this medium we all work in: NDS, Scientific-Atlanta, Bloomberg Television, Liberate, Turner, Charter, Motorola, Bluestreak, N2 Broadband, Buzztime, Ucentric, GoldPocket Interactive, and Ensequence.
• Thank you to the companies who decided to share with us demonstrations of their new ITV services. I suggest you take a look at them, if you haven't already. Providing demonstrations are: NDS, BIAP, MyDTV, Espial, Zone4Play and Bluestreak.
• Thank you to the many people who provided us with great archival video footage of ITV projects, some of which you have been viewing on the screens around the room this evening.
• Thank you to the 26 judges from companies around the world who took time out of their day to look through all the supporting materials and vote on the Awards.
• And a general thanks to all the people and companies who continue to take risks, drive the medium, and contact us to tell us about it. We are working hard to chronicle this industry's history and to help the industry tell its own story. Look forward to our new comprehensive and searchable Web site, which will be launching over the coming months.

up to headlines

ABOUT [itvt]

*Founded by Tracy Swedlow in November 1997
*Began Publishing June 1998
*Read in over 100 countries
*Demographics are provided upon request from qualified persons

[itvt] is an ITV/broadband advisory and media company which identifies new trends, business opportunities, and relationships within the interactive television broadband space. [itvt] offers professional services, products, and programs to clients. These include our free email newsletter, focused analysis and advice sessions, in-depth research reports, a B2B portal Web site, networking and workshop events, dynamic online discussion groups, and interactive database resources.

Today, more than ever before, [itvt] believes it is imperative to develop dynamic, flexible, and robust interactiveTV platforms that allow us to learn from and talk about our world and the cultures in it in a free, constructive, and proactive manner.

MISSION

1. to report the latest business developments and technologies
2. to feature the companies and people building the marketplace
3. to investigate new content and tcommerce projects
4. to provide contextual and critical analysis on all of the above

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InteractiveTV Today [itvt] and its agents used their best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, InteractiveTV Today [itvt] does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.

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