game

Broadcast network, ABC, contacted [itvt] Monday to let us know that ABC.com is offering an interactive "Rose Ceremony Game" that allows viewers to play along with the latest series in its long-running "The Bachelor" reality TV franchise, "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love."

NBC last week announced the launch of a new social media game, called "Mission: Chuck Me Out" (http://www.chuckmeout.com), that is designed to reward viewers who use popular social networking sites to promote the network's returning action-comedy series, "Chuck" (note: the series' third season premieres at 9:00PM Eastern, January 10th, before the series moves to its regular day and time--Mondays at 8:00PM Eastern--on January 11th).

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 last week's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, which our editorial team was unable to attend):

LiveHive Systems, an Ontario-based company that specializes in two-screen interactive TV solutions, has signed an agreement with Rogers Sportsnet to make a service based on its flagship NanoGaming platform available in conjunction with the latter's broadcasts of regional NHL games. The service, dubbed "Game in the Game," debuted October 12th and is being offered for the 2008/09 and 2009/10 hockey seasons. Viewers access it by logging into a dedicated area on the Rogers Sportsnet Web site (sportsnet.ca/gameinthegame). They can then play along with a sports broadcast by making predictions (i.e. by answering such questions as "Who will score the next goal?" or "Who will be thrown into the penalty box first?"), answering trivia questions (e.g.

--Secures New Deals with the NBA, New York Giants

LiveHive Systems, an Ontario-based company that specializes in two-screen interactive TV solutions, has signed an agreement with Rogers Sportsnet to make a service based on its flagship NanoGaming platform available in conjunction with the latter's broadcasts of regional NHL games. The service, dubbed "Game in the Game," debuted October 12th and is being offered for the 2008/09 and 2009/10 hockey seasons. Viewers access it by logging into a dedicated area on the Rogers Sportsnet Web site (sportsnet.ca/gameinthegame). They can then play along with a sports broadcast by making predictions (i.e. by answering such questions as "Who will score the next goal?" or "Who will be thrown into the penalty box first?"), answering trivia questions (e.g.

Digital Rights Group-subsidiary, i-Rights--a company which
specializes in the financing, development and distribution of
cross-media programming and which is headed up by Justin Judd, the
former controller of interactive media at Granada--has signed a
two-year deal with Canadian production company, The Nightingale
Company, that will see i-Rights distributing worldwide a new, 48-part
online series and Alternate Reality Game aimed at teens. Entitled "Do
You Believe Me?," the new show is billed as "tak[ing] its users into the
real world along with series characters." It tells the story of a
17-year-old girl called Maya who, through recurring nightmares,

Satellite TV provider, DirecTV, recently offered an interactive TV
application to accompany its coverage of the French Open tennis
tournament. Dubbed French Open Interactive and available from May
25th through June 1st, the application was developed by DirecTV in
partnership with the Tennis Channel and ESPN2. It offered complete
coverage of play on five courts during the tournament's first six days,
and eight hours of coverage on Saturday, May 31st and Sunday, June
1st: according to DirecTV, the service offered a total of 350 hours of
tournament coverage. At the core of the service was a "mix" channel
that allowed viewers to watch up to six live matches simultaneously,