BBC's Wimbledon ITV Service Proving Successful

The BBC is once again offering an interactive TV service to accompany its coverage of the annual Wimbledon tennis championship. Digital satellite (Sky) and digital cable (ntl and Telewest) customers can press the red button to reach an app that allows them to use their remote's up and down keys to switch between video feeds from five courts (including the live broadcast on BBC One or BBC Two), each accompanied by live commentary. By pressing the blue button, they can access a menu that presents them with three options: News (all the latest news from the championship), Scores (live-updated scores from all the courts), and Results (updated results as they happen). Customers of the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, meanwhile, must first press the red button to access the BBC's 24/7 interactive TV service, BBCi, and can then press the blue button to access a menu that allows them to choose between coverage of three matches (including the live broadcast on BBC One or BBC Two) and the News, Scores and Results options. Both the satellite/cable and the Freeview versions of the service also include a "Scheduler" app that shows which matches will be available next via ITV.

The service is apparently proving quite successful so far: during the first four days of the championships, around 2,647,000 digital satellite viewers pressed the red button to access it--up from just under 2 million viewers last year. "These are fantastic figures and naturally we are delighted," Andrew Thompson, the BBC's head of development for new media and sports news, said in a prepared statement. "It confirms our belief that interactive television is ideally suited for sporting events such as Wimbledon, where there are lots of matches happening at the same time, and that interactivity is now an intrinsic part of the Wimbledon viewing experience. It empowers our viewers and allows them to take control of what matches they want to see and, judging by the increase in usage, they really like the service." It remains, however, to be seen whether the Wimbledon ITV service will prove as popular as the ITV service that the BBC offered to accompany the Olympic games last year: that service attracted nearly 10 million users in the course of the games.

BBC Launches 24/7 ITV Service for Kids' Channel, CBBC

The BBC has launched a round-the-clock interactive TV service to complement its tween- and teenager channel, CBBC. Dubbed CBBC eXtra, the new service invites children to submit questions about CBBC and its shows and presenters in an area called "On The Spot"; seek advice from an "agony uncle" in an area called "Ask Aaron"; submit jokes and messages (which then appear in an area called "More Fun"); and enter a weekly competition. It also provides top-40 charts, music and movie reviews, horoscopes, and recipes and other information designed to supplement CBBC shows.

New Sky Portal to Make Web Pages Available via Interactive TV

BSkyB's interactive TV arm, Sky Interactive, earlier this month officially announced plans to launch an ITV portal later this year that will allow Web site operators to make their sites available to Sky satellite subscribers. (Note: it was no secret that Sky Interactive planned to offer such a portal: information on its plans has been available for some time now on its Web site.) Sky Interactive says that it hopes to attract a wide range of Web site operators to the portal, including ebusiness operators, non-profit organizations and individuals: it claims that its goals for the portal are both to broaden the range of interactive services available on its platform (it says that those services are currently accessed by 10 million viewers per month) and to "stimulate further innovation in the interactive TV arena."

According to Sky, the portal, which will be offered free-of-charge, will provide access to a range of Internet services that have been specially adapted for television: those services will be accessed by typing in a URL, or via the portal's listings pages and online search engine. The portal will also incorporate personalization features, allowing viewers to, for example, save their favorite links and access a list of services they have visited previously: each member of a household will be able to create an individual profile, where s/he can enter personal information to facilitate online transactions, using features such as auto-complete and auto-logon.

For Web site operators interested in offering their sites on the portal, registration, testing and validation services will be available on Sky Interactive's Web site (www.skyinteractive.com): operators will be able to adapt their services using Sky's WTVML technology, and there will be no up-front charge to register and launch a new site. Sky Interactive says it plans to sell Web site operators a range of optional marketing features that will assist them in promoting their sites to Sky subscribers: these will include the ability to register a shortcode, dubbed a "SkyKey," that will allow subs to jump directly to their site from the portal's home page. "Sky's investment has created a network of millions of devices that are capable of accessing Internet-based services," Sky Interactive's director of technical alliances, Ian Valentine, said in a prepared statement. "With around 10 million viewers using our interactive services each month, the new portal's simple commercial model will create a new audience for Web site owners and a valuable new channel for e-business. We want to work with the Web community to bring the depth and diversity of the internet to interactive television."

Two Way TV News:

--Partners with Post-Production and Playout Services Provider, TSI
--Receives Commission to Produce Interactive Quiz for Sky Active
--Produces Array of Digital Cable ITV Services for "Big Brother"

Two Way TV (TWTV) has entered a partnership with post-production and playout services provider, TSI, that will see the latter offering its broadcast clients--which include Simply Media, Best Direct, and Transact TV-- mobile-to-TV services powered by TWTV's Simcast platform (note: TWTV acquired the platform via its purchase of Simcast last September). Simcast services can be tailor-made to run alongside programming. In addition, TWTV offers several "off-the-peg" mobile-to-TV services, including "Reverse Auction," which invites viewers to use their mobiles to bid for products (auctions are won by the viewer who submits the lowest unique bid), and "Quiz," a question-and-answer format which TWTV says can be reskinned and reconfigured for any audience and subject matter. The Simcast platform has been deployed by a number of broadcasters to date, including L!ve TV, TWC, Red Circle, and Prime TV. "Working with TSI means we can offer broadcasters the latest in mobile-to-TV services direct at the point of play-out--our interactive services can be switched on at a moment's notice and seamlessly tied into the broadcaster's programming," TWTV's head of sales, James Turner, said in a prepared statement.

In other Two Way TV news:

The company says that its recently launched production and distribution arm, Two Way Productions, has been commissioned by BSkyB to produce an interactive quiz for the Sky satellite TV service's interactive TV portal, Sky Active, and for Sky's movie channels.
The company has been tapped by UK terrestrial broadcaster, Channel 4, to produce an array of interactive TV services to accompany the latest season of the Endemol reality TV series, "Big Brother," on the UK's digital cable platforms, ntl and Telewest. The new services include "Big Brother's Big Quiz," a trivia quiz game that provides cash prizes; a set of instant-win jackpot games from the Winner Channel (note: the latter, which launched earlier this year on ntl's and Telewest's digital networks, is a joint venture between TWTV and Israeli interactive TV games company, Zone4Play; it offers a range of "instant-win," fixed-odds gaming formats, including Slots, Hi-Lo, Keno and Dice, that are directly accessed from Channel 4's interactive services menu, and is the first ITV games service on UK digital cable to feature "instant-win" fixed-odds gaming; the top jackpot for the fixed-odds games was recently increased to £500,000); and a mobile content shop called the "4 Mobile Zone," which allows viewers to use their remotes to browse, preview and buy programming-related ringtones, Java games, and wallpaper. In addition, the company has developed an app that allows Telewest subscribers to access extra video streams from the Big Brother household. The new services are the result of a series of deals between TWTV and Channel 4 New Media that have resulted in TWTV developing the bulk of Channel 4's ITV services on digital cable: "We've been working with Two Way TV for five years and we're delighted to be rolling out our new cable services with them," Channel 4 New Media's executive editor of interactive TV, Iain Marsh, said in a prepared statement. "So far the cable audience's reaction to these services has been extremely good and we're looking forward to continuing to provide some of the best red button services available on cable."

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Teletext Launches Digital Text Service for UK Broadcaster, ITV

Commercial text service provider, Teletext, has launched a digital text service for UK commercial terrestrial broadcaster, the Independent Television Network (note: the latter is generally referred to by the acronym, "ITV"), on the Sky satellite and Freeview digital terrestrial platforms. The service, called "Digital Teletext on ITV," is based on News Corp.- subsidiary NDS's Value@TV technology. It can be accessed from all ITV's channels by pressing the "Text" button on the remote control, and provides national and local news, sports coverage, and weather and travel information, as well as lottery results. It also provides easy access to two other Teletext services on the Sky platform, Teletext Holidays and the recently launched Teletext Cars. It features full-color display, and allows viewers to watch linear programming in quarter-screen mode while using it.

Zodiac, Arroyo Team to Deliver Games through Arroyo's VOD Platform

Interactive TV games developer, Zodiac Gaming, is partnering with Arroyo, a company that offers VOD servers based on industry-standard hardware, on an integrated solution that will allow its games to be delivered to digital set-top boxes from the Arroyo Video Platform, while that platform is also delivering VOD services. The companies say that the joint solution will make the delivery of games faster, more reliable and simpler; Arroyo also claims that it demonstrates the flexibility of its open- architecture platform to "adapt and evolve" to deliver new revenue- generating applications. "We're thrilled to be teaming with Arroyo, a predominant driving force in next-generation open video platforms, to deliver a new and more efficient way to bring interactive content to the set- top box," Zodiac Gaming president and CEO, Alex Libkind, said in a prepared statement. "This capability will enhance the operator's on- demand offering by allowing them to support not only video downloads, but also data downloads, so games and other advanced on-demand applications that are to be executed from the set-top can be easily delivered via the Arroyo Video Platform." (Note: other companies offering ITV games-on-demand solutions include VOD equipment provider, SeaChange International, and Softbank-subsidiary, G-cluster; for more on the partnership between those companies that was announced at last year's IBC tradeshow in Amsterdam, see [itvt] Issue 5.67 Part 2.)

In other Zodiac Gaming news: the company says that it has begun porting its games to the OCAP middleware platform of Geneva-based MHP and OCAP specialist, Osmosys. Zodiac and Osmosys teamed on a demo at the SCTE Cable Tec Expo in San Antonio earlier this month that showcased two of Zodiac's newest games--Gem Masters and Checkers--running on the Osmosys platform. Zodiac, whose games are also available on Liberate OnRamp and on Vidiom's OCAP implementation, plans to port its entire library to Osmosys' OCAP implementation.

Canada's Bell ExpressVu Offering Buzztime Trivia Games

Canadian pay-TV operator, Bell ExpressVu, is now offering a trivia gaming service from NTN-subsidiary, Buzztime, on its Game Galaxy interactive TV games portal (note: located on channel 550 of the Bell ExpressVu EPG, the portal features 30 free and subscription-based games, including PixelPlay's KidsWise and Visiware's Playin'Casino and Playin'TV services). Dubbed Buzztime Trivia, the new service offers viewers 160,000 trivia questions in six categories, including sports, movies, kids, TV and science. It also features a multi-player option that allows up to four players. Bell ExpressVu customers have the option of subscribing to the service for CAN$3.00 per month or of purchasing a day of play for CAN$1.50. According to a Buzztime spokesperson contacted by [itvt], the Bell ExpressVu version of its service will differ from the version deployed on a number of US cable systems in that "the Bell service is a pass-the-remote-game where one-to-four players at a time in a household compete," while with "the cable product one player competes against others both on a local and national level."

Two Way TV Australia to Launch Mind Games Channel on Sky New Zealand

Two Way TV Australia--a company that holds exclusive perpetual licenses to use technologies and content from Two Way TV UK in Australia and New Zealand, and which, following an IPO in which it raised AUS$40 million to fund its expansion, recently signed a licensing deal with the UK company that will allow it to use the latter's technologies in a number of new Asian markets--has signed a three-year deal with Sky New Zealand (has around 500,000 digital subscribers and employs OpenTV middleware) that will see it launching its Mind Games ITV games channel on the latter's platform later this year. The channel, versions of which have also launched on Foxtel and Austar in Australia, will be available for a NZ$5.95-per- month subscription, and will offer five games, including word and trivia games. TWTV Australia and Sky New Zealand will share revenues from the channel on a 50/50 basis. TWTV Australia recently acquired Australian ITV applications developer, Holotype, which has contracts to develop ITV racing services for Sky New Zealand.

NPOWR Says its stimTV Network will Launch in October

Los Angeles-based NPOWR Digital Media has confirmed that it plans to launch its long-awaited stimTV Network (first covered in [itvt] Issue 5.03 Part 2) in October. According to the company, the broadband programming service is based on patented software that allows viewers to instantaneously sort and customize thousands of video clips, in order to create a personalized entertainment experience: viewers are presented with a random flow of seven-to-ten-second clips that range from music videos, movie trailers, and celebrity interviews to director commentary, concert highlights and behind- the-scenes footage. The clips are, according to NPOWR, designed to give viewers just enough footage to decide whether they want to see more: if they decide they want to see more of a particular piece of footage, they can arrest the random stream by clicking on their mouse. The service's underlying technology then uses their choices to tailor its streams more to their interests the next time they access them. In addition, viewers have the option of creating an anonymous profile that enables the service to further customize the video with which it presents them.

NPOWR says that its launch of stimTV will be multi-tiered: the first of the service's streams or channels (note: the company refers to them as "corridors") to launch will be devoted to music programming; it will, according to the company, feature clips from live performances, music videos and musician interviews, and will be targeted at fans of "edgy, up- and-coming independent acts." The company says that it now has content agreements in place for stimTV Music, as the "corridor" will be called, with 23 record labels. Other "corridors" will be devoted to music, cinema, shopping and lifestyle. In a prepared statement, Alex Moreno of Beggars Group/Matador Records, explained why his company has decided to joint stimTV's programming line-up: "In this world of tech-savvy, multi-taskers, you have mere seconds to reach consumers and perhaps convince them to check out a new band or buy a CD," the statement read. "NPOWR has turned this into a science with stimTV, filling the void where traditional television falls short. We are delighted to be part of this revolution." In addition to partnerships with indie music labels, NPOWER says it has signed deals with a number of Hollywood studios and consumer products companies. It also plans to seek advertisers.

In anticipation of stimTV's launch, the company has assembled a senior management team with a range of entertainment-industry experience: in addition to network president, founder and CTO, Dwight Marcus, and president and founder, Bob Whitmore, the team consists of: Rowland Perkins (founding president of CAA); James N. Fiedler (a former VP at MCA-Universal); and Michael Ogiens (former president of MTM and former VP of daytime programs at CBS Entertainment).

[itvt] IPTV Research Paper

Sky Confirms Plans to Offer Internet-Based VOD Service

Presumably in response to the ongoing roll-out of VOD by UK digital cable providers, ntl and Telewest, BSkyB plans to offer an Internet-based VOD service that will allow end-users to view movies and Sky Sports programming on their PC's. The service, which will launch later this year, will be available to subscribers of Sky's top-tier programming package, Sky World. At launch, the service will offer around 200 movies, including new- release and library titles; according to Sky, the number of movies available on the service will increase over time. Sky Sports content available on the service will include game highlights, interviews, program clips, and Sky Sports News bulletins.

In related news: during a recent VOD conference in London, Susan Elkington, an EVP at content aggregator, arrivo on demand, told the Reuters news agency that European cable operator UPC's chello Internet unit plans to roll out a broadband VOD service to its subscribers in a few months, using arrivo on demand content. (Note: both UPC and arrivo on demand are subsidiaries of Liberty Global.)

Telewest Secures More Content for its VOD Service

--Begins Trial of a Narrowstep-Powered Broadband TV Service

UK cable operator, Telewest Broadband, says that it has secured agreements with BBC Worldwide, Discovery Networks Europe, and National Geographic Channel Europe to provide programming for its recently launched VOD service. Its agreement with BBC Worldwide will provide the service with over 180 hours of programming, including documentaries, natural history programs, drama, light entertainment, and children's programs; its agreement with Discovery, meanwhile, will provide the service with factual and lifestyle programming. Telewest, which already has VOD programming agreements in place with FilmFlex, the BBC, Flextech, Nickelodeon and various adult channels, says that negotiations with other content providers "continue apace." The operator, which launched movies- on-demand in Bristol earlier this year, says that it will roll out movies and TV programming on demand on a region-by-region basis throughout the second half of the year, starting with a launch early next month to 26,000 customers in Cheltenham. It plans to invest around £20 million on developing VOD and PVR services this year.

In other Telewest news: the company is conducting a trial of a broadband TV service on its blueyonder.co.uk Web site, using technology from Narrowstep, a company that specializes in making TV channels available over the Internet and other media (note: BSkyB recently announced plans for a broadband TV trial--see article in this issue; ntl is also developing such a service). The service (www.blueyonder.co.uk/tv), which is available free of charge, features programming from Telewest's own content arm, Flextech, and various other content providers, including high.tv and The Horror Channel. It currently consists of four linear channels: blueyonder 01 ("entertainment highlights" from Flextech's LIVINGtv, Bravo, Challenge and Trouble channels), broadsports (coverage of "specialist" sports, such as snowboarding, motor racing and sailing), broadwise (video guides to the Web, covering such topics as multi-player gaming, education and wireless technology), and broadway (entertainment programming). In addition, the service includes a three-day EPG that allows viewers to access content on- demand. The service employs Narrowstep's TV-Station-in-a-Box platform: Telewest's in-house producers encode, schedule and play out the service from a Web-based management console.

The service's content is played out at speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, and, according to Telewest, its speed is automatically tailored to the delivery speed of each viewer's broadband connection. The trial currently has around 25,000 regular users: overall, Telewest has over 750,000 broadband Internet subscribers, of whom around a third have connectivity speeds of 1Mbps or higher. The company says that it plans to expand the amount of content available on the service, taking into account the feedback it receives from trial participants. (Note: the BBC, meanwhile, has announced plans for a 5,000-viewer trial of an Internet-based TV service--for more on the service, see [itvt] Issue 6.06 Part 2.)

Mag Rack to Offer 20-Episode "Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts"

Rainbow Media's niche on-demand video magazine service, Mag Rack, will on August 4th begin offering a 20-episode video magazine, based on the workshops and books of Regena "Mama Gena" Thomashauer. According to Mag Rack, the video magazine, entitled "Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts," will provide women and their mates with tips on flirting, dating, improving their sex lives, and discovering their sensuality. A new 10 to 30- minute episode of the magazine will debut on Mag Rack each week until December.

VH1 to Launch VOD Service with "Hogan Knows Best" Premiere

Music channel, VH1, will launch its VOD service this Friday by premiering the first episode of its new "Celebreality" series, "Hogan Knows Best" (stars former wrestling star, Hulk Hogan, and his family), exclusively on Comcast's Comcast On Demand platform. The series' VOD premiere will precede its linear TV premiere by nine days. Other programming that VH1 plans to offer on its new service later this year includes exclusive concert coverage, musician interviews, and additional "celebreality" and pop culture shows. Comcast On Demand, which features a large array of free-to-view content, is currently available to 90% of the MSO's customers: according to Comcast, its customers have watched more than 100 million on-demand programs during each of the past three months.

FilmFlex in VOD Deal with Warner Bros.

VOD content aggregator, FilmFlex, has signed a deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution that will see it offering a range of the latter's new-release and library titles, including "Ocean's Twelve," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," and "The Postman Always Rings Twice." FilmFlex, which provides content for ntl's and Telewest's recently launched VOD services, is a joint venture between the On Demand Group, Sony Pictures Television International, and Walt Disney Television International--VOD equipment provider, SeaChange International is also a major investor in the company. The company's other content partners include Paramount, DreamWorks and MGM-UA.

Comcast in Major VOD Movie Deal with Starz

MSO Comcast has signed a major VOD agreement with premium content provider, Starz Entertainment Group (SEG). The deal calls for the companies to offer over 1,500 movies a year from SEG's library on Comcast's VOD service, ON DEMAND. The deal--which the companies point out is the largest VOD movie content agreement to date--will also see Comcast launching two new SEG premium linear movie channels on its systems, and will extend the affiliation agreement between the companies into the next decade. The companies say they decided to enter such a comprehensive agreement because it provides Comcast with more control over future programming costs while providing SEG with greater predictability in its long-term revenue stream. The deal obviously also increases the exposure of SEG's Starz and Encore brands to Comcast customers (Comcast is the largest cable MSO in the US), while significantly expanding Comcast's VOD offering. As a result of the deal, Comcast digital customers who subscribe to the Starz service will now have on-demand access to 325 of SEG's movies per month, and customers who subscribe to the Encore service will have on-demand access to 250 of its movies per month. In addition, the deal will see Comcast making 100 of the 250 Encore movies available free-of-charge as part of a what it says will be a new digital cable package that will "be the gateway to video-on- demand for those customers who have previously experienced traditional television content."

Comcast to Offer NBA Draft Profiles on its VOD Service

MSO Comcast is teaming with NBA TV (the programming service of the US National Basketball Association) to offer exclusive video profiles of the top 27 players entering this year's NBA draft--as well as expert analysis of each NBA team's draft needs and post-draft analysis--on its VOD service, Comcast On Demand. Earlier this year, Comcast teamed with the NFL Network to offer profiles of over 50 NFL Draft prospects on the service (see [itvt] Issue 6.00 Part 2).

Comcast Launches Spanish-Language Fox Sports Content on its VOD Service

--TWC's Nuestra Tele On Demand to Offer Programming from HTV, Infinito

Comcast has signed a deal with Spanish-language sports network, Fox Sports en Espanol, that will see 10 hours of the latter's content offered free- of-charge on the MSO's Comcast On Demand en espanol service (note: the latter is a companion VOD service to Comcast's CableLatino and Selecto Hispanic line-up). The first content offerings available as a result of the new deal include coverage of the 1995 Copa America match between the US and Mexico, the 2004 Copa Libertadores finals featuring two matches between Argentina's Boca Juniors and Colombia's Once Caldas, and the finals of the 2005 Copa de Campeones featuring Costa Rica's Saprissa and Mexico's Pumas.

In related news: cable channel operator, Claxson, says that Time Warner Cable's soon-to-launch Spanish-language VOD service, Nuestra Tele On Demand, will feature programming from its Spanish-language channels, HTV (offers Latin music) and Infinito (offers programming on lifestyle and spirituality). The channels are the only content providers to have been announced to date for Nuestra Tele On Demand, which will initially be rolled out in Los Angeles.

TVN Signs Multi-Year VOD Services Agreement with Outdoor Channel

--Deploys Widevine's Cypher System for VOD Encryption

The Outdoor Channel, which recently soft-launched a high-definition linear network, plans to begin offering its programming on demand. The channel has signed a multi-year services agreement with VOD distribution services company, TVN Entertainment, under which the latter will be its "preferred partner" for VOD services, including encoding, distribution and asset management. Its new VOD service, dubbed "Outdoor Channel On Demand," will initially be offered in standard definition, and will provide programming from its current line-up and its library, as well as various bonus series and special events programming.

In other TVN Entertainment news: the company says that it is using Widevine's Cypher System for pre-encryption and secure transport of VOD assets. "TVN delivers over 2,000 hours of high-profile, high-value, file- based content via satellite to our network of VOD distribution affiliates every month," TVN CTO, Dom Stasi, said in a prepared statement. "It is absolutely imperative that we protect that content from unauthorized interception, and do so throughout our network. The challenge is daunting, both technically and economically, but Widevine has proven equal to the challenge."

Federal Hill in Exclusive Agreement with Live Networks

Federal Hill Communications, a company that specializes in assisting network operators in negotiating content-licensing agreements with movie studios and independent producers, says that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Live Networks, a provider of broadband entertainment to the Scandinavian market (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland). The deal will see it helping Live Networks--which provides content aggregation services to telcos and also operates its own Web-based VOD service--license new-release movies, library titles and TV series. According to Live Networks CEO, Bjoern Schroeder, his company's short- term goal for its partnership with Federal Hill is "to sign contracts with all major studios and to be the leader in Scandinavia in VOD and entertainment via digital media," while its long-term goal is "to expand the business outside the Nordic regions and [to conduct] business development within the area of new media and entertainment such as new types of TV- channels."

LodgeNet News:

--Will Offer OAG's FlightCheck Service on its ITV Systems
--Teams with Movielink on "Entertainment 2Go"
--Signs Licensing Agreements for HD Content
--Affirms Commitment to Open Standards via Participation in HTNG

Hospitality industry interactive TV provider, LodgeNet, timed a number of announcements to coincide with last week's HITEC tradeshow in Los Angeles:

It revealed that it has teamed with OAG Worldwide, a company that specializes in the delivery of travel and transport info, to make the latter's FlightCheck service available on its interactive TV systems, as part of a travel content section it is co-developing with OAG. The service allows hotel guests to access flight schedules and information on the status of their flights--then, for what LodgeNet terms a "nominal charge" to their mobile phone bill, allows them to have flight status updates texted to their mobiles. It is located on the "GuestPort" area of LodgeNet's ITV platform, which consists of a series of free services that use Macromedia Flash to deliver Web-based content and applications to televisions in hotels equipped with broadband Internet connections.
It revealed that it is working with Hollywood studio-backed Web-based VOD service, Movielink, to develop a service, dubbed "Entertainment 2Go," that will allow guests of hotels equipped with LodgeNet broadband Internet access systems to download movies to their laptops. Because the movies will be downloaded from a server on the hotel premises, LodgeNet claims that downloads will be over six times faster than over a traditional broadband connection. The company, meanwhile, is attempting to differentiate itself from its competitors by marketing its sigNETure TV and sigNETure PC systems as a single, integrated solution, and says that it is expanding various services and capabilities "that would be less effective, or not possible, if delivered over two disparate systems." Among the advantages that LodgeNet claims for its "integrated" approach are the ability to conduct cross-platform branding and promotion, the ability to administer and bill for ITV and broadband services through one terminal, and the ability to unify customer support operations for the services.
It revealed that it has signed a series of licensing agreements that will add widescreen movies and other new content to HDTV-enabled versions of its sigNETure in-room entertainment platform. The company says that it worked closely with LG Electronics on the development of the latter's Pro:Idiom content protection technology, and that its deployment of the technology was a key factor in persuading Hollywood studios and other content providers to license HD content for use on its system. Companies now providing linear and on-demand HD content on the SigNETure platform include K2 Communications (which is supplying movies-on- demand that were originally produced for IMAX theaters, and which will also be supplying other HD programming, including comedy and concert coverage, in the coming months); HDNet (which is supplying its flagship HDNet channel and its HDNet Movies channel); and DirecTV (which is making a number off HD channels it carries--Discovery HD Theater, ESPN HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, and Universal HD--available on the system).
It revealed that it is using its LodgeNet Media Management System to help the Hampton Inn hotel chain conduct in-room promotion for its "Hampton Playland Sweepstakes." Since June 15th, a promotional spot for the sweepstakes has been airing on the Welcome Channel in Hampton Inn hotels that use the sigNETure TV system. According to LodgeNet, the spot is presented in a Hampton-branded interactive TV environment that was co- developed by LodgeNet and Hampton. It teamed with Hampton on a similar promotion last year.
It also used the show to trumpet the ability of the sigNETure system to integrate with hotel knowledge systems, thus, for example, allowing hotels to greet travelers by name when they turn on their guest room TV, or to build interactive guest directories using their own text and graphics. According to the company, this integration is best achieved through open standards that have been developed collaboratively between hoteliers and hotel technology providers. As a result, it has been participating in the In- Room Technology Workgroup of Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), a non-profit consortium that attempts to develop open-standards solutions for the hotel industry. In a press release for the HITEC tradeshow, LodgeNet cited three examples of its commitment to open standards: 1) it is engineering its sigNETure TV, HDTV and PC platforms to support Web services applications, including XML/SOAP messaging, thus allowing those platforms to extract data from systems capable of sending and receiving XML messages; 2) it is developing XML-based and other open- standards interfaces that allow access to hotel-owned content and data in LodgeNet systems, thus providing hoteliers with a wide variety of content management options; and 3) it is making its PowerStation administrative menus available to any terminal on the network; it says that this is the first step towards enabling third parties to "incorporate certain LodgeNet administrative functionality into their own software--reducing the need to access a different Web page or go to a different terminal, and presenting LodgeNet served hoteliers with portfolio-wide access and control from their corporate offices."

On Command News:

--Signs Exclusive Six-Year Agreement with Fairmont Hotels Canada
--Showcases New HD VOD Solution
--Integrates its VOD System with Hotel PMS Systems

Liberty Media-owned hospitality-industry interactive TV provider, On Command, timed a number of announcements to coincide with last week's HITEC tradeshow in Los Angeles:

It said that it has signed an exclusive, six-year agreement with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, under which its pay-per-view VOD system, based on its Roommate platform and CANVAS software, will be installed in 18 Fairmont hotels (9,500 guest rooms) across Canada. The installation will include new group feature functionality specially designed for the hotel chain, that will leverage the television power-on channel to broadcast content to Fairmont Hotels' conference and meeting clientele: "The capabilities which Fairmont has built on top of the CANVAS software enable us to further personalize the guest experience," Tim Aubrey, SVP of finance at Fairmont Hotels, explained in a prepared statement. "For example, a meeting planner may now enhance a conference welcome message by publishing an agenda and video introduction directly to the television in the attendee guest room. This messaging will be mirrored across existing digital touch-points in the hotel including our check-in kiosks and high-speed Internet portals."
It revealed that it has launched five channels of HDTV programming on its in-room entertainment systems in a number of Hilton Garden Inn hotels.
It teamed with Eagle Broadband to showcase its new HD VOD solution, which is powered by Eagle's HD MediaPro IP set-top box technology.
It unveiled a new technology that integrates its VOD system with Hotel PMS systems and loyalty programs, and thus allows hotels to provide their guests with the ability to use rewards points to pay for VOD and other pay- per-view services on its platform. According to On Command, its new solution enables hotels to determine the value of points and what services they can be used to pay for.

YooMedia Launches Interactive Marketing Services Division, YES

Interactive TV content and services company, YooMedia, has launched an interactive marketing services division, called YooMedia Enhanced Solutions (YES). In a press release announcing the new division, the company described it as a "multi-channel interactive solutions provider which aims to enable marketers to take advantage of the most appropriate platform to meet specific campaign objectives," and said that its mission will be to "deliver on the promise of interactivity, facilitating cost-effective and responsive campaigns without needing to worry about the technology powering the experience."

Like its parent company, the new division is based in London. It has an initial staff of eight account directors, each possessing marketing experience in the ITV, Internet and mobile fields. That staff will, of course, be able to draw on its parent company's resources, which currently include 40 interactive platform designers and developers. (Note: YooMedia, which, thanks to its acquisition of the Digital Interactive Television Group earlier this year, operates the only independent red-button return path for the Sky platform, claims to handle over 15 million cross-platform customer transactions each month. Among other things, it operates bookmaker William Hill's fixed-odds ITV gaming channel, Channel 425, and provides the technology that powers the SMS-based "Walkaway Question" on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"--for more on the latter, see [itvt] Issue 5.89 Part 1.) The new division is headed up by David Bainbridge, who was previously managing director of mobile marketing agency, Whoosh, and deputy marketing director at Channel 5.

Although YES was officially launched on June 20th, it has been operating under the radar for some time prior to that: it recently enabled a promotion, entitled "Kit Kash," for Nestle Rowntree, in which consumers could redeem virtual currency via an SMS-based on-pack call to action, and then bid for items on a specially designed auction site.

sportskool to Begin Public Transport Ad Campaign

Rainbow Media's instructional VOD service, sportskool, is set to begin a major advertising campaign on New York City-area public transport systems. The campaign's ads will be posted on commuter trains in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Long Island and Westchester County, New York. In addition, radio commercials for the service will run on local station, WBAB.

Meedio to Make its Essentials Software Available in Retail

Houston-based digital home entertainment software provider, Meedio, says that it is making its Meedio Essentials media center software available through national retailers and lowering its price to $49.99. The software will initially be offered by Amazon.com, J&R Music, Computer World, and Navarre Corporation, and Meedio says that it will be announcing additional distributors and retailers over the coming weeks. The software allows end- users to access and organize media stored on their PC via their television, using their remote control. End-users can customize the software by drawing from a collection of over 200 add-ons that Meedio offers on its Web-based "Meedio Add-In Directory."

WWE Using Broadband Content to Promote its SVOD Service, WWE 24/7

--Cox, Blue Ridge, SELCO, Click! to Offer the Content on their Web Sites

Wrestling promoter, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), says that Cox, Blue Ridge Communications, SELCO (Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations) and Click! Network will next month begin offering exclusive broadband content on their Web sites, that it has developed to promote its recently launched SVOD service, WWE 24/7. The video-rich promotional content consists of a series of skill-based games, including trivia, puzzles and dexterity challenges, which the company says are designed to drive repeat usage and viral online word-of-mouth among wrestling fans. The first games on offer are entitled "WWE Crossword Challenge," "Superstar Squares," "Memory Mania" and "Ten Count Video Trivia" respectively, and WWE says that over a dozen additional titles will be rolled out over the course of the next year or so. Each title will contain video, animation, flash elements and photographs dovetailing with the themes and personalities featured on the SVOD service each month. According to WWE, players who successfully complete each activity will be rewarded with access to exclusive, rare or never-before-seen video and match coverage from its 75,000-hour library. The company says that it will allow operators that offer its promotional broadband content to co-brand it. In February, the company offered a suite of text-based trivial games on its own Web site, which it says were played by 1.2 million unique visitors in the course of the month.

Jeep i-Ad Pulled Due to Regulatory Concerns

Brands may no longer be able to use interactive ads to get around strict UK advertising regulations that prohibit product comparisons, following a decision by four UK broadcasters (the Independent Television Network, Five, IDS/Flextech and Sky) to disallow an i-ad for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which contained footage comparing the latter's performance with that of sports coupes from Audi and BMW. While, technically, red-button i- ads are still outside the regulatory purview of the UK's Advertising Standards Authority, the broadcasters' move seems likely to put a chill on the use of such ads to circumvent the regulations that govern linear TV commercials. The broadcasters allowed the i-ad to run after the product- comparison footage was removed. UK terrestrial broadcaster, Channel 4, however, has apparently adopted a wait-and-see approach to the question of whether regulatory bodies will decide to subject i-ads to the same strict regulations as linear commercials, and has allowed the Jeep i-ad to run in its entirety.