--Plus a New Interview on 180Squared's Work on the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV Platform
[itvt] has just published in-depth interviews with Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks, a company that specializes in technologies for cloud-based interactive TV and whose customers include Cablevision and Time Warner Cable, and with Amir Littman, co-founder and VP of business development at 180Squared, a company best known for providing software and integration services for Microsoft's Mediaroom IPTV platform.
 Strategic media agency, Media Storm (note: earlier this month, the company announced the formation of a new division, called BOLT, that will be focused solely on developing and implementing advertising campaigns that use interactive TV, addressable advertising and VOD platforms--see the article published on itvt.com, October 8th), said Wednesday that it has been selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as its media buying agency of record, and that it is now starting work on the promotion of the telecast of the 82nd Ac
In a posting on a Verizon blog, Wednesday, the company's SVP of media relations, Eric Rabe, announced an update to its FiOS TV service's Twitter Widget which is scheduled to be rolled out today (Thursday): "With our Twitter Widget," he wrote, "we heard from many of you who wanted an easier way to switch back and forth from tweeting to full-screen TV viewing mode. You got it. By tomorrow, customers will be able to simply press the one-click FiOS TV button on the remote control to navigate back and forth between the Widget and TV mode [i.e. in a manner similar to that allowed by the company's Pro Football Widget]. And now Tweets will auto-refresh every 30 seconds."
--Other "In-Character" Multiplatform Extensions Include Facebook Page, YouTube Channel
"Misfits," a new drama series from Channel 4's digital channel, E4, that centers on a group of teenage superheroes, will offer a multiplatform experience by having two of its characters send out tweets during the course of each of its hour-long episodes, according to an article in The Guardian. The tweets for the show's first episode have been written in advance of its November 12th broadcast by a team led by the show's head writer, Howard Overman, and tweets will also be incorporated into the show's other five episodes, the show's producers say.
--Companies Plan to Develop Digital Signs that Will Let Consumers Interact in Real Time via Mobiles
Norwegian interactive TV software company, never.no (note: for an example of an application powered by the company's technology, see the article published on itvt.com, July 1st), announced Wednesday that it has formed a partnership with Singapore-based 1-2-1View to develop digital signs with which consumers can interact in real time using their mobile phones.
--UK-Based TV Everywhere Launches New Version of its VidZapper Platform
 In a posting on its corporate blog, Wednesday, broadband video publishing solutions provider, Brightcove, announced that it is powering Liv, a recently launched online TV channel from Virgin Media Television's Living TV brand which offers free, exclusive, original short-form content that is refreshed on a daily basis. The ad-supported channel is available on http://livingtv.co.uk; and is also distributed to a range of third-party Web sites and social media platforms, including Facebook, via Brightcove's distribution and syndication technologies.
--Quincy Smith to Resign as CEO of CBS Interactive, Will Continue to Advise on Interactive Media
--Comcast Said to Be Working on "Underground IPTV and Video Convergence Project"
--December Issue of Esquire Magazine to Offer Extensive Augmented Reality Features
--Rogers Skeptical of tru2way, Considering Internet-Based Interactive TV Solutions
--SeaChange Showcases RS-DVR Solution at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo
Here is a round-up of some other interactive TV-related stories we didn't have room for in this issue (as well as some stories from the ongoing SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, which our editorial team was unable to attend):
Accedo Broadband--a Stockholm-based aggregator and distributor of interactive TV applications (note: the company, which was founded by telecom and media entrepreneurs, Michael Lantz and Fredrik Andersson, offers a range of applications, but is best known for its games)--announced Tuesday that it has launched its Funspot interactive TV casual games service on Belgian cable MSO Telenet's digital platform.
--180Squared Secures Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV Integration Deals with SureWest, RTC
IPTV middleware and applications provider, Minerva Networks, said Wednesday that Vietnamese telco, VTC Digicom, has selected its flagship iTVManager platform to deliver premium digital video entertainment services as part of a triple-play offering. According to the company, the deal represents the first deployment of IPTV in Vietnam. The Minerva-powered video services will be offered to over 100,000 subscribers in the first phase of roll-out and will be expanded in the near future, the company says. "We needed a proven, open and scalable system that would enable us to offer our customers a differentiated television experience," VTC Digicom EVP, Tien Dat Chu, said in a prepared statement.
A number of companies contacted [itvt] Wednesday to let us know about the products and technologies they are exhibiting at the ongoing SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver (October 28th-30th):
Semiconductor company, Broadcom, on Tuesday announced two new Multimedia over Coax Alliance system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions--the BCM7125 and the BCM7119--which it claims support tru2way, CableCard and a range of other technologies and standards, and which it promises will "enable manufacturers and cable operators to cost-effectively offer the latest in interactive HDTV programming, connectivity, whole-home media distribution [including multiroom HD DVR] and advanced 3D user interfaces to the North American market."
According to the company, key features of the new SoC's include:
--Apps Designed to Provide Easy Navigation to Children's, Sports and News Channels
 New York-area MSO, Cablevision, on Monday announced the launch of iO TV Quick View, an interactive TV service consisting of three channels--devoted to children's, news and sports content respectively--each of which features a nine-channel multiscreen mosaic.
--Apps Available at Launch Include FourthWall's Yellow Pages on TV, icueTV tCommerce Apps
Comcast Media Center (CMC) said Tuesday that its HITS AxIS service is now ready to support the commercial deployment of interactive TV services by cable operators. HITS AxIS--whose name stands for "Headend In The Sky Advanced Interactive Services," and which was developed in collaboration with Vidiom and TVWorks--is a centralized platform that operates on the NAS and DAC headend-management platforms and that is designed to facilitate the deployment and management of ETV/EBIF and OCAP/tru2way applications on cable systems serving small- to mid-sized markets.
--Alice in Chains Launches Interactive, Video-Enabled iPhone App
 Video search engine company, blinkx, on Tuesday announced blinkx Music (http://www.music.blinkx.com), a new service for finding and watching music videos online. According to the company, the service functions as a "single online gateway" that provides access to music videos in every genre, and features a "huge and varied constellation of artists." blinkx claims to have indexed over 33,000 hours of music video from over 10,000 artists.
--$79.99 Roku SD and $129.99 Roku HD-XR Join Company's Existing $99.99 HD Box
 Over-the-top-TV company, Roku, on Tuesday announced the immediate availability of two new set-top boxes: the $79.99 Roku SD and the $129.99 Roku HD-XR, which join the company's existing $99.99 Roku HD Player (formerly called simply the Roku Player) set-top in its product line-up. According to the company, for a limited time consumers who purchase one of the boxes--which provide access to content from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand and MLB.TV--through Amazon or Roku's own Web site will receive free shipping.
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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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