Interactive TV News Round-Up (III): Yvette Kanouff, Cablevision, Chairlift, Coincident, CableLabs

Because the [itvt] editorial team has been working on The TV of Tomorrow Show 2012, we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format.

•  SeaChange International's former president, Yvette Kanouff, has resurfaced at Cablevision, where she has been named EVP of engineering, software design. She will report to Wilt Hildenbrand, senior advisor for engineering and technology, and to James A. Blackley, EVP of corporate engineering and technology. "In her new role, Ms. Kanouff will drive the implementation of the company's strategic technology goals and play a critical role in the development of new consumer-facing technologies and the facilitation of their entry into the market for Cablevision's customers," Cablevision states in its press materials. Said Hildenbrand and Blackley: "Yvette is a skilled and well-regarded executive who will help deliver Cablevision's next-generation technologies to our customers across a wide variety of platforms. She is no stranger to our business, as Yvette has been the driving force behind many of the industry's most important technological advances. Her expertise will help to ensure that Cablevision remains well-positioned as an industry leader in a competitive marketplace."
• Musical duo, Chairlift, have launched an interactive "choose-your-own-adventure"-type video for their new single, "Met Before." The video is the result of a partnership with creative company, m ss ng p eces, was directed by Jordan Fish, and employs technology from Interlude.fm.
• Interactive video technology provider Coincident's recently launched (see the article published on itvt.com, January 10th) ScreenSync TV second-screen platform has been honored as "Best New Idea" at the CableLabs Winter Conference's Innovation Showcase, following an informal poll. "Nine companies participated in the showcase session, which provides each company with up to 10 minutes to present and demonstrate its technology solution for cable," CableLabs explains in its press materials. "Coincident demonstrated ScreenSync TV which allows for close synchronization of tablet content to cable broadcast or on-demand linear television content. ScreenSync TV leverages existing cable infrastructure to offer subscribers a rich two-screen experience. Other Showcase participants were ConteXtream, Digitalsmiths, Elemental Technologies, Joyent Inc., Myriad Group, Philips, Technicolor/M-GO and Thuuz." Said Coincident's EVP of marketing, John Gilles: "ScreenSync TV is the future for cable operators--allowing them to pair a companion app with ancillary content from the cloud--and we're excited to be recognized. The timing is right for a 'perfect storm' to arrive that will finally make interactive TV a reality. We know that TV viewers are already using companion devices in front of the TV in great numbers, and we also know from our company experience that offering cable viewers contextual, synchronized links to content and commerce causes them to engage more as measured by time spent viewing, content consumed and transactions completed. To address this unique confluence of consumer behavior and market conditions, Coincident is pleased to be able to work with cable operators to offer ScreenSync TV, the platform that allows video owners and distributors to make, manage and measure highly engaging, second-screen companion applications across multiple device categories." (Note: For more on ScreenSync TV, see Will Keller's recent blog post.)