Interactive TV News Round-Up (I): ADB, AEG, Alticast

Because the [itvt] editorial team has been busy this week working on the TV of Tomorrow Show 2011, we are covering recent news in round-up/summary form. Once again, we anticipate that it will take us a few days to catch up with all the news we plan to cover: so if your company has sent us a press release or briefed us on an announcement, and you don't see your news covered in this issue, please bear with us.

•       Geneva-based digital TV technology provider, Advanced Digital Broadcast Holdings (note: the company's holdings include US-based Vidiom), has announced that Francois Pogodalla, deputy CEO of the ADB Group and CEO of ADB S.A., is leaving the company "by mutual agreement." He has served as CEO since July, 2008. "Andrew Rybicki, ADB Group CEO and the chairman of its board of directors, will assume the role and responsibilities of CEO of ADB S.A. on an interim basis," ADB states in its press materials. "Mr. Rybicki, on behalf of ADB Group and himself, wishes to express his thanks to Mr. Pogodalla for his numerous and important contributions over the last five years, and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors."
• AEG, a provider of webcast management and digital media services for live streaming events, has announced a new release of its Tremolo media player that it says "vastly increases advertising options and revenue opportunities for its current and prospective content customers. The enriched Tremolo media player provides customers up to nine concurrent camera angles for covering the multifaceted entertainment events they stream to the Web masses," the company's press materials continue. "Until now, Tremolo could only support a single ad from a sole sponsor across camera angles and either live or on-demand streaming video. The Tremolo media player breaks new ground by enabling an automaker, for example, to run an ad for numerous cars during a live-streamed event. AEG Digital Media customers can also support a mix of sponsors across the nine camera angles. Customers can enable sponsors to combine live and on-demand content concurrently using separate camera angles...Advertising opportunities extend well beyond camera angle options. The new release enables unique ads per stream and DoubleClick ad support, as well as the ability to use Tremolo to trigger ads, or an entire ad campaign on the screen. AEG Digital Media has also simplified player reconfiguration--adding a remote option, while adding basic security, to enrich the advanced player."
• Interactive TV software specialist, Alticast (whose areas of expertise include DVB-MHP, OCAP/tru2way, EBIF, IPTV and mobile TV), has appointed high-profile ITV-industry veteran, Michael (Mike) Malcy, as SVP of business development. Malcy was previously VP of marketing for the Americas at Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) and its subsidiary, Vidiom Systems. "Mike, who officially joins Alticast on March 25, has served as business development, marketing, and legal at Vidiom/ADB over the past eight years," Alticast states in its press materials. "Prior to joining Vidiom, he spent three years as vice president of Samsung's Product Innovation Laboratory, where he was responsible for introducing the company's HDTV, MP3 and cable-industry products. Previously, Mike spent five years as marketing manager at Sharp Laboratories, where his activities included overseeing standards, government policy and the company's collaboration with CableLabs on advanced digital video solutions. Mike has additional experience in the broadcast industry and is actively involved in numerous industry organizations, including CTAM, SCTE and CEA." Said Alticast CEO, David Housman: "Alticast and our customers are very fortunate to have someone with Mike Malcy's insight and experience guiding our product and business activities. Mike is well known and respected in our business sector; he will help to ensure we continue to anticipate, develop and deliver solutions that meet our US, Canadian and Latin American customers' revenue and operating goals."
• In related news: Jeff Bonin has left his position as SVP of business development and marketing at Alticast to start his own consulting practice, JAB Consulting. "JAB Consulting will provide product/technology strategy, marketing and business development services to its clients," Bonin wrote in an email to [itvt]. "In the future, the company plans to provide engineering and project management expertise through partner relationships. It's a very interesting time in the ITV industry, with a lot of activity," Bonin's email continued. "From EBIF to connected TV's to tablets and streaming video platforms, ITV is coming to the masses. With this rapid pace of innovation, sometimes even the best companies need some inspiration, direction or organization. That's where JAB Consulting can help. I've been providing marketing and business development expertise since 1996 and I've built a solid reputation in this industry. I'm looking forward to working with companies that are pushing TV into new directions...I'm very proud of my accomplishments at Alticast, and wish them all the best.