iCueTV Scores Tcommerce Deals with Major MSOs

CHICAGO - [itvt] at NCTA – Several major cable MSOs plan to deploy a tcommerce solution from iCueTV during the fourth quarter of 2011, CEO Michael Huegel said here Wednesday. 

While Huegel declined to name the distributors that iCueTV has struck deals with, he said the deployments will include "true tcommerce," where cable subscribers will be able to buy products marketed by advertisers with a click of their remote controls. The cable rollouts will also feature interactive ads where subscribers will be able respond to offers from advertisers by entering their mobile phone numbers into their cable remote controls, Huegel said.

"It's several agreements with several MSOs that are going to be deploying our system," Huegel told [itvt]. "We have some other advertisers that are coming into the fray, and content providers. Slowly but surely, the system is getting out there, and interactivity is coming to fruition," he added.

iCueTV teamed up with daily deals Website Groupon to demonstrate its "click to text" application at The Cable Show. In the demo, an interactive overlay from Groupon pops up during an ad for one of its daily deals. Subscribers that respond to the ad, and enter their mobile phone numbers, receive a text message containing a link to Groupon's Web site, where they can complete the transaction. 

Cherry Hill, N.J.-based iCueTV will also supply cable MSOs with a template for EBIF-based applications that allow subscribers to buy products with their remote controls. Huegel says the company, which has conducted trials with Buckeye Cablesystem in Ohio, is focused on providing advertisers and cable distributors with back office fulfillment for tcomerce. 

iCueTV has also built a white-label tcommerce app for Apple's iPad and iPhone which cable MSOs can customize. "All [distributors] have to do is brand it, and they can have an instant iPhone or iPad application," Huegel said.