Apps

Mobile application developer, Bottle Rocket, has appointed Scott Maddux as general manager of its new AWE business division.

Due to the large volume of news generated by the IFA, IBC and CEDIA trade shows--and because the [itvt] editorial team has been working on TVOT NYC Intensive 2011--we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format. We anticipate that it will take us a few more days to catch up with all the recent news: so if your company has sent us a press release or briefed us on an announcement, and you don't yet see your news covered in this issue, please bear with us.

Due to the large volume of news generated by the IFA and IBC trade shows--and because the [itvt] editorial team has been working on TVOT NYC Intensive 2011--we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format. We anticipate that it will take us several days to catch up with all the recent news: so if your company has sent us a press release or briefed us on an announcement, and you don't yet see your news covered in this issue, please bear with us.

Ten weeks after it began testing a social nework game for its most popular show, History launched a Facebook app based on its "Pawn Star" series. 

The game is already a huge traffic draw for History and Facebook. Since it launched in beta on Jan. 27, the Pawn Stars Facebook game has generated more than 750,000 monthly unique users and more than more than 150,000 unique users daily. 

--By Steve Donohue

Less than two months after announcing that its Samsung Apps connected-TV app store had surpassed its one millionth application download (see the article published on itvt.com, December 9th), Samsung said Monday that the store has now seen two million downloads. Samsung Apps, which launched around a year ago, allows users of Samsung connected-TV devices to purchase and download directly to those devices apps from a range of content and service providers. The store, which is available in 120 countries, currently features around 380 apps, of which 259 are free.

Due to the huge volume of interactive TV-related news generated over the past few days by the IBC, we are covering stories in this issue in round-up format. We anticipate that it will take a few more days for us to catch up with all the recent news: so if your company has sent us a press release or briefed us on an announcement, and you don't yet see your news covered in this issue, please bear with us. Our regular news coverage will return shortly.

Online music pioneer, Napster, on Wednesday unveiled an interactive TV application for Samsung's Samsung Apps platform (note: for more on the latter, which is available on a number of Samsung's connected TV's, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray home theater systems, see the article published on itvt.com, September 1st). Napster tapped Accedo Broadband, a Stockholm-based provider of interactive TV applications and content for IPTV and broadband-connected consumer electronics devices, to help it develop, test and launch the new app.

Due to the large volume of interactive TV-related news generated over the past few days, we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format. Our regular news coverage will return shortly.

New York-based interactive video technology provider, Qoof, last week announced the launch of its in-video advertising app platform. According to the company, the platform lets advertisers easily insert custom applications into existing video assets, and allows these in-video apps to be distributed across third-party players and multiscreen advertising platforms, including on Web sites, affiliate networks, ad networks, social media outlets and social gaming locations.

SpotCrime, a Baltimore-based start-up that bills itself as "the largest independent data and news company mapping crime worldwide," has launched an interactive TV application in DirecTV's TV Apps app store (http://tvapps.directv.com). The app provides DirecTV viewers nationwide with near-real-time crime data, including listings of local crime incidents and a map of that local criminal activity.

Over-the-top-TV specialist, Boxee, made a number of significant announcements Tuesday: