The following is a partial (and in no particular order and perhaps somewhat subjective) list of some of the top interactive TV headlines from the past year:
Group to Focus on Long-Range Innovation
Includes Interactive TV Veteran, Patrick Donoghue
Signs Addressable Advertising Deal with DISH Network
Advanced advertising technology specialist, Invidi Technologies, has created an advisory board to provide strategic expertise and guidance on advanced advertising initiatives. According to the company, the advisory board is tasked with ensuring that all participants in the advanced advertising ecosystem--multichannel video program distributors, TV broadcasters, program networks, advertisers, media buyers and media sellers--benefit from digital technology efficiencies and "share in the value chain."
Invidi says that the advisory board's four members were chosen in recognition of their standing as advertising authorities with deep industry knowledge and experience. They are:
The BBC--which earlier this year was fined £400,000 by UK communications regulator, Ofcom, for breaches of the UK's Broadcasting Code pertaining to its phone-based participation TV programming (see [itvt] Issue 7.95 Part 1)--has set up a new technical department to oversee all its phone-based interactive TV offerings. The Corporation says that the new department--dubbed the Interactive Technical Advice and Contracts Unit (ITACU)--is part of a comprehensive plan to address the problems that resulted in the Ofcom fine.
Launches Programming-Guidance App for iPhone, ipod touch
Vizimo, a UK-based developer of "next-generation" guidance technologies, has acquired the broadband video/TV social networking site, TIOTI (an acronym for "Tape It Off The Internet"). The company says it plans to use TIOTI as a "show window" in which to test and showcase new functionality and tools that tie together TV, the Web and mobile devices.
Cablevision's content subsidiary, Rainbow Media, has sold its original-content VOD services, Sportskool and Lifeskool:
Eyespot, which provided a broadband video service that offered a suite of online editing tools (for more on the company's offering, see [itvt] Issue 7.1), has gone out of business: "We deeply regret to inform you that Eyespot Corporation will no longer be able to continue serving you," an email from the company's president and CEO, Jim Kaskade, stated. "For our users at eyespot.com, we're no longer allowing you to upload new videos. You can retrieve your uploaded video and mixes by going to your mymedia gallery and clicking the download link below the video thumbnail. For our business customers in the Eyespot video network, your site will continue operate unaffected for a limited period of time.
Cisco Systems recently released the results of a "Visual Networking Index" study which it commissioned from Complete and which was designed to assess the influence of broadband video and other social media applications on Americans' political engagement. The study, which purports to show that "visual networking" is playing an increasingly important role as a source of news and information on US presidential campaigns, is the first installment of a service called "Cisco Visual Networking Index Pulse" that the company says will provide quantative views of network-based consumer behavior via direct data collection.
The study surveyed around 1,800 registered voters in September, who self-identified as Democrats, Republicans, independents or undecideds. Among its findings:
JewishTVNetwork.com recently contacted [itvt] to let us know that over 120,000 people across the globe accessed the High Holiday (Kol Nidre) service that it streamed online in October. This is the second year in a row that the broadband TV service has broadcast a Kol Nidre service, and viewership apparently quadrupled from last year, giving the service its highest simultaneous online viewership. The service was led by celebrity rabbi, Naomi Levy, who has appeared on such shows as "Oprah" and "Good Morning America." JewishTVNetwork.com says it plans to stream a Kol Nidre service again next year.
Microsoft TV is trumpeting the apparent success of its Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV platform. According to a November 10th announcement by the company, the number of subscribers to Mediaroom-powered IPTV services has more than doubled during the past year: Mediaroom-powered IPTV is now in over 2 million subscriber homes, the company says, and on nearly 4 million set-top boxes worldwide. And, in the past quarter alone, the company claims, Mediaroom customers have connected 500,000 new subscribers worldwide.
Receives Regulatory Permission to Offer Phone-Paid Interactive TV
Forms Client Services Unit, Opens New R&D Centers
Mobile Interactive Group (MIG), a UK company which, as its name suggests, offers a range of mobile-based interactive services, has secured a two-year renewal of its contract with UK terrestrial broadcaster, ITV (note: the latter's name is an acronym for "Independent Television Network"), under which it provides the latter with mobile interactive services across a range of its programming, as well as consultation on mobile strategy. The contract renewal followed a competitive industry pitch.
 Canoe Ventures--the company that is implementing Project Canoe, the US cable industry's initiative to create a national unified platform for interactive and addressable advertising (it is backed by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House)--continues to staff up. The company--which earlier this fall named Arthur Orduna CTO (see [itvt] Issue 8.06 Part 1)--has named John Collins SVP of product development; Michael Davis general counsel; Bruce Dennler SVP and chief relationship officer, agency relations; Vicki Lins chief marketing officer; and Mark Mitchell SVP and chief relationship officer, network relations.
Conditional access and interactive TV technology provider, NDS, announced three senior management promotions last month:
Clearleap, an Atlanta-based company that is developing a platform which it bills as making available "the virtually limitless diversity of video...such as any movie or TV show ever made, sports from international competitions to local high school football, special interest programs, and user-generated content...to viewers on their TV sets in the comfort of their living rooms," says that it has secured $3.3 million in venture debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank. Earlier this year, the company closed a $9 million Series A equity investment from Trinity Ventures and Noro-Moseley. Clearleap says it will use the new funding to enhance the development of its infrastructure and business management products for TV service providers and content owners.
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The 2nd Annual TVOT NYC Intensive
The second annual TVOT NYC Intensive took place on Monday, December 5th at 730 Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. We would like to thank everybody who participated and attended for making the event a success!
Read more about the highlights - video and photos to be posted soon.
To find out about future event sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, contact us at swedlow@itvt.com or 415-824-5806
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