TellyTopia Launches Its i2TV UGC Service on San Francisco Bay Area's KAXT

TellyTopia contacted [itvt] Monday to let us know that its flagship i2TV service (note: the name stands for "Internet-to-TV") is now available in the San Francisco Bay Area on local digital broadcaster KAXT's Channel ONE (1-8) service. The service--whose launch with Sacramento, Calif.-based triple-play provider, SureWest Communications, was announced in April (see the article published on itvt.com, April 2nd)--is designed to enable professional and amateur video producers to upload videos on an online portal, i2tv.tv, or via Tubemogul; the videos are then filtered for content, copyright issues and quality, before being distributed on broadcast, cable and IPTV systems--via a 24/7 linear-TV channel, a VOD service, or an operator's broadband portal.

According to TellyTopia, the KAXT deployment means that the i2TV service now reaches over a million TV sets via broadcast, cable and IPTV. The deployment sees the broadcaster offering an i2TV 24/7 linear-TV channel, featuring such locally themed user-generated video programming as coverage of local events, high-school sports, and family events (e.g. weddings and birthday and anniversary parties), as well as a range of more general Internet video uploaded by users. "KAXT's state-of-the-art digital broadcast system was an ideal partner for us to demonstrate the convergence of the Internet and television," TellyTopia founder and CEO, Kshitij Kumar, said in a prepared statement. "KAXT has packed 12 digital sub-channels into the equivalent of a single analog broadcast channel. With the i2TV service, high schools, churches, and town councils in the Bay Area can all be TV stars. It is a simple process--shoot, upload, watch on TV--a 'Make Me a TV Star' experience in about 24 hours. They can watch their videos online as well anytime through the i2TV portal at www.i2TV.tv. Bay Area viewers can upload and share their videos with others in the community, or across the world." Added KAXT CEO, Warren Trumbly: "i2TV is the most unique programming on television. Now anyone can have a television show on TV with i2TV. This is the first time there has been a real connection between the Internet and television: it's true democracy in programming. Personally, I find myself captivated by unique--or maybe crazy--homemade programs on i2TV." (Note: for more detail on the KAXT i2TV deployment and other recent TellyTopia developments, as well as on TellyTopia's business model, see the article published by [itvt] blogger, Jeff Vinson, August 16th.)