p*artnerships Add Functionality to CBS's New Broadband TV Initiative

CBS Interactive last week announced that it is p*artnering with a number of community-oriented Web sites and social application providers to add greater functionality to its CBS Interactive Audience Network (note: the latter is an initiative that was announced in April and that will see the broadcaster offering a range of its programming on the Internet f*ree-of-charge through multiple p*artner Web sites; distribution p*artners that had signed on when the service was first announce included AOL, Microsoft, CNET, Comcast, Joost, Bebo, Brightcove, Netvibes, Sling Media and Veoh; for more on the service, see [itvt] Issue 7.26 Part 3). The company says that it has signed deals with a number of new p*artners, as well as with its existing p*artners AOL, Brightcove, Netvibes and Veoh, that will enable Audience Network users to incorporate CBS clips into their profiles, Web sites, blogs, widgets, wikis and community pages. "In launching the CBS Audience Network, we solidified our position as the most widely distributed professional content provider on the Web thanks to our great video distribution p*artners," CBS Interactive president, Quincy Smith, said in a prepared statement. "We now want to empower our audience to be creative and deepen their experience with our content by allowing them to share and embed CBS-provided clips to their blogs, wikis, widgets, community sites and whatever else gets thrown our way. We are delighted to have so many quality p*artners established and start ups helping to bring CBS content to the online community."

CBS Interactive's new Audience Network p*artners include:

• Automattic, the company behind the widely used WordPress blogging software (it also operates Akismet, an anti-spam service for blogs, social networks, forums and wikis).
• Clearspring, a provider of cross-platform widget services, which the company claims make it easy to use content and services from across the Internet to "weave personalized experiences."
• DAVE Networks, which offers an integrated video distribution and social community platform. The company claims that its platform allows brands to build "digital ecosystems through interactive video social community portals that function as a public hub where customers, fans, and users can develop dynamic personalized profiles, upload and share content, blog/video blog, comment on message boards" and more.
• Goowy Media, whose products include yourminis, a widget platform which it claims simplifies widget development, syndication and measurement for content owners and third-party developers.
• meebo, which operates a Web site for instant messaging, which it claims allows users to IM from any computer and access all their existing "buddies" in one place. The company recently announced a service called "meebo rooms," that allows users to chat and view media live with their friends.
• MeeVee, which offers a service that integrates traditional TV listings, broadband video, and TV news and gossip.
• MuseStorm, which offers an end-to-end solution for publishers. Dubbed the MuseStorm Content Syndication Platform, the solution provides an authoring environment, syndication to Web, desktop, IM and mobile, analytics and monetization.
• Ning, which offers a f*ree service that allows consumers to create their own social networks. Users of the service can customize their social network by selecting various features, such as videos, blogs, photos, and forums.
• RockYou! which claims to serve over 150 million widget-views a day to over 200 countries, via social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Bebo. The company's widgets include photo slideshows, glitter text and voicemail accessories.
• Slide, which offers a personal media service that allows people to tell stories through personalized photos and videos created on its Web site and viewable anywhere on the Web or desktop.
• VideoEgg, which offers a broadband video solution for online communities, and which operates a video ad network, dubbed the Eggnetwork, which is currently comprised of around 70 communities.
• Voxant, which syndicates news and advertising to thousands of Web sites and blogs through its Web site, TheNewsRoom. All its content is f*ree and supported by advertising, and it shares revenues with sites that publish its content.
• vSocial, which operates a service that allows content owners, site operators and online marketing organizations to custom-brand, target and virally distribute and monetize their message via video.

CMT Launches User-Generated Content Channel on its Web Site

Viacom-owned country music channel, CMT, has launched a broadband video channel devoted to user-generated content on its broadband Web portal, CMT Loaded. Dubbed CMT Homegrown, the new channel debuted May 24th with a user-generated video contest/series, entitled "Hometown Edition," that invites viewers to submit videos showcasing "what makes their city special." Through August 30th, viewers will be able to submit a video (note: entries must be shorter than two minutes) that shows the top five reasons (people, places or events) why their hometown is special. Four finalists will be announced September 6th on the channel's high-profile linear TV show, "CMT Top 20 Countdown," and viewers will then be asked to vote online at homegrown.cmt.com for the best "Hometown Edition" video. CMT will subsequently broadcast a live special edition of "Countdown" from the winner's hometown and hosted by the winner.

Disney-ABC to Offer HD Programs on its Full-Episode Broadband Player

Disney-ABC Television Group has announced plans to begin streaming HD content this summer on its Emmy-winning, advertising-supported full-episode broadband player (note: the player currently offers full-length, standard-definition episodes of over a dozen series, the day after their linear broadcast; in April the player was revamped to offer full-screen viewing and a miniscreen that users can position wherever they choose on their desktops, in addition to its two original viewing- size options). "We are excited to be the first in the industry to stream HD video available on the Web, providing ABC.com users with an unprecedented online viewing experience," Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, said in a prepared statement. "By continuing to listen to our audience and enhancing our digital offerings with the best technology available, we further strengthen their relationship to our brands."

According to Disney-ABC, the full-episode broadband player's HD channel will beta-launch in early July, and will feature a "limited amount" of content, in true high-definition 1280x720 resolution, from such series as "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Ugly Betty." Then, in conjunction with the launch of the new television season in September, a more robust line-up of HD programming will be offered.

In related news: Disney-ABC says that it will expand the full-episode player this fall to include national news and local content, in addition to its current line-up of primetime entertainment programming. The new version of the player will be geo-targeted, allowing the insertion of localized advertising as well as local programming.

Two Way TV in Long-Term Content Deal with Virgin Media

--Separate Deal Sees Virgin Media Acquiring Company's Ark Technology

UK-based interactive TV formats and services company, Two Way TV (note: the company has just been acquired by Ingenious Media Active Capital--see article in this issue), has signed a long-term content deal with the UK's dominant cable operator, Virgin Media (formerly ntl and Telewest), for its Two Way TV skill-based games service and its interactive gaming channels, The Winner Channel and The Roulette Channel. In a separate deal, Virgin Media has also acquired, for an undisclosed sum, Two Way TV's Ark technology for the UK and Ireland. (Note: according to Two Way TV, the Ark platform automates the many complex workflows of interactive TV, thus helping create operational savings. It is comprised of two components: Ark Broadcaster, which manages cross-platform scheduling and playout of enhanced TV applications; and Ark Collector, which captures and manages return-path data across all platforms, as well as providing CRM tools and fulfillment interfaces for prize fulfillment, interactive advertising and more.)

The content deal will see Virgin Media placing Two Way TV's games, gaming TV channels and competitions behind the red button on a number of third-party broadcasters' channels. According to Two Way TV, deals for this type of functionality have already been signed with terrestrial broadcasters, the Independent Television Network (generally referred to in the UK by the acronym, "ITV") and Five, and with Challenge and the Cartoon Network. The Ark deal, meanwhile, builds on the fact that, for the past six years, Virgin Media and its corporate forebears have used the platform under license from Two Way TV to manage all interactive services across their networks.

According to Two Way TV, selling off its Ark technology to Virgin Media will allow it to focus on expanding its content and formats business in Europe and the US. The company has been quite busy in the formats/content space over the past five months or so, having produced around 400 hours of programming for ITV, having been nominated for an Emmy for its "WinWinTV" format, and having started to roll out a number of new interactive betting shows. "Ark has been a fantastic interactive platform for us and it has become the lynchpin of Virgin Media's interactive cable services, so it makes absolute sense that they take it on and develop it for their growing customer base," Two Way TV CEO, Jean de Fougerolles, said in a prepared statement. "We are continuing our close relationship with them through a highly strategic new content deal, and we're excited about the market opportunities we can pursue with this new investment."

HSN Launches "Shop by Remote" Interactive TV Application on DISH Network

HSN, a US home shopping channel owned by Barry Diller's IAC/InteractiveCorp, has launched its single-screen interactive TV application, HSN Shop by Remote, on EchoStar's DISH Network satellite TV service. The existence of the application came to light in spring, 2005, when GoldPocket Interactive (which is now part of Tandberg Television) revealed that it had signed an agreement with HSN that called for it to develop a tcommerce service for ITV-enabled US cable and satellite systems. HSN has trialed the app on Time Warner Cable systems in Hawaii since the beginning of 2006 and on Cablevision systems in New York since May, 2006. The app is currently the only live, broadcast-synchronized interactive shopping service in the US, and its launch on DISH Network is its first on a satellite TV platform.

Currently, DISH Network subscribers can access Shop by Remote through the interactive shopping section of the platform's DishHOME interactive TV portal (channel 100). However, EchoStar and HSN say that, in the coming weeks, subs will be able to access it directly through HSN by pressing "select" on their remote when they see an item they want to buy. "HSN is excited to p*artner with DISH Network for the national launch of Shop by Remote," Peter Ruben, HSN's EVP of affiliate sales and marketing, said in a prepared statement. "Our initial trials of Shop by Remote in the New York/tri-state area and Hawaii have generated very favorable results, signaling the great potential this service has as customers across the country now experience it."

HSN claims that Shop by Remote allows viewers to complete most purchases in less than 60 seconds--i.e. in less than half the time it takes via HSN's automated phone service. In order to use the application, DISH Network subs must have an existing HSN account: they can then use their remote to order the item currently being showcased on HSN, as well as the two items preceding it, and whichever item is being showcased as HSN's "Today's Special." Via a series of on-screen menus, the app provides the same order-customization capabilities (e.g. selection of size, color, quantity and features) currently offered by HSN's more traditional ordering methods. Order confirmations appear on the TV screen following each purchase. Shop by Remote is one of a number of multiplatform interactive services that HSN is developing: the channel's other initiatives include podcasts of recorded and original programming, VOD, and streaming live broadband video on its Web site.

Denki Offering Casual Games on DirecTV's Game Lounge Service

Dundee, Scotland-based casual games developer, Denki (note: the company is a major supplier of casual games to the UK's BSkyB satellite TV platform), contacted [itvt] last week to let us know that it is providing games for US satellite TV provider DirecTV's recently launched Game Lounge interactive TV games service, thanks to a deal struck through Denki's games publisher, Waterfront Entertainment. (Note: Game Lounge, which is offered for a monthly subscription of $5.95 or on a play-per-day basis for $1.95, features branded games from a line-up of content p*artners that also includes Nickelodeon, Leap Frog, PBS Kids, and Mattel. The service organizes its games into several different categories, including puzzle, word, card, educational and arcade-style games: it offers 15 games at a time, refreshing its line-up every two weeks. Many of its games are targeted at children.)

Nine Denki titles are currently available on Game Lounge as a result of the deal: "Word Crunch," "Letter Box," "Denki Blocks! Brain Teasers," "Number Crunch," "Polly Pocket Splash!," "Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses," "Barbie: World Fashion Tour," "Tumble Fever," and "Hot Wheels: Monster Truck Smashdown." According to Denki, additional titles developed by the company and published by Waterfront Entertainment will launch on DirecTV later this year. "Gaming on digital television is very popular in Europe," Denki managing director, Colin Anderson, said in a prepared statement. "It enjoys a very broad range of games players, including a high percentage of female and mature users, who are not traditionally considered 'gamers.' Digital television allows viewers to interact with their favorite shows, characters and brands in an entirely new way, through a medium--and controller--they're very comfortable with. It's an exciting new platform to work with and its potential is huge. DirecTV has created an exciting new service for its users. Game Lounge offers a wide range of content that is unique in the United States. We are delighted to be developing games for their service and we look forward to viewers across America enjoying Denki-developed games."

Gemstar-TV Guide News:

--Launches Suite of Personalizable, Cross-Platform Guidance Tools
--Adds Clickable Broadband Video Listings to TVGuide.com
--Signs Data Distribution Deal with CBS, License Deal with Verizon

EPG developer/interactive TV programmer, Gemstar-TV Guide, has unveiled a new suite of cross-platform, viewer-personalizable guidance tools and services, called My TV Guide, which it says are designed to help consumers navigate the rapidly expanding content choices and new content genres resulting from the emergence of multiplatform video entertainment. It plans to license the tools and services to cable and satellite operators, telcos, consumer electronics companies and wireless operators, including companies that are already employing its i-Guide, Passport and consumer-electronics EPG product lines. According to the company, My TV Guide products and services that are designed to complement its existing EPG's will begin to roll out later this year, with the first deployments taking place primarily on the Web, and with livingroom-oriented applications expected to reach consumers in 2008. Gemstar says it expects to generate revenues from the My TV Guide offerings via licensing fees, advertising and commerce.

According to Gemstar, the My TV Guide suite of tools and services includes:

• "MetaPlus Enhanced Data," which it says includes new forms of guidance content and data "to move beyond schedules to a more portal-style guide experience" that incorporates program graphics, video previews and extras, celebrity and movie data, editorial recommendations, family ratings and show recaps.
• Personalized guide services, which will be based on the company's proprietary "Smart Recommendations" technology. According to the company, the latter uses sophisticated algorithms to match viewers with the shows most relevant to their interests. In addition, the company says its editorial staff is creating "dozens" of specialized hot lists, highlighting the best programs for specialized interests.
• Cross-platform messaging between set-top boxes, PC's and mobile devices. According to the company, end-users will be able, for example, to use a remote recording service to schedule recordings from their laptop while traveling, or receive alerts on their mobiles when a favorite program is about to air.
• "Advanced Guide Ad Services," which Gemstar says will bring capabilities associated with Internet advertising to EPG's. According to the company, these services will allow its customers to monetize their EPG's through targeted, graphically rich ads and will "offer interactive capabilities important to program promotion and conventional advertisers, including the ability to view a full-screen video, order a pay-per-view program, set up a DVR recording, visit an interactive showcase and request additional information."
• Client applications, which Gemstar says will be delivered to service providers as a toolkit and which will be designed to speed up client-side deployment of My TV Guide services. According to Gemstar, companies that deploy My TV Guide will be able to deploy "MyGuide," a personalized guidance home page or TV "dashboard," which will provide a summary of favorite programs and recommendations for each member of a household, on TV, Web and mobile environments. Those companies will also be able to enhance their consumer Web experience, Gemstar says, by embedding "Listings2Go," a co-branded online EPG application.

Gemstar claims to have agreements in place with a number of multichannel video providers to collaborate on My TV Guide services: its TVGuide.com Web site will offer remote recording services for Verizon's FiOS TV service, EchoStar's DISH Network, and DirecTV. The remote recording capability will also be offered to the company's EPG affiliates as part of the A26 i-Guide release, which is scheduled for availability early next year (note: field trials are scheduled to begin in the second half of this year). In addition, the company says it has signed agreements to provide its Listings2Go online guide application to 21 cable companies, including top-10 MSO, Suddenlink.

In other Gemstar-TV Guide news:

• The company has beta-launched an Online Video Guide on its TVGuide.com Web site, which it says is designed to allow users to "channel-surf" Internet video content and provide "one-click access" to online shows and videos. According to the company, the ad-supported Online Video Guide will index videos from over 55 major, entertainment-focused Web sites, including sites affiliated with broadcast networks and cable channels. It allows end-users to search for video in a variety of ways, including by title, description or keyword field. It also allows end-users to browse videos through such categories as top videos, top TV shows, top celebrities, network and genre. The new guide will provide daily picks of videos deemed "new and hot" by TV Guide editors, and will also offer quick links to the videos that are most popular with TVGuide.com visitors. While it will be focused primarily on professionally produced content, it will also highlight popular viral videos. Rather than hosting video clips at TVGuide.com, the new guide will link out to video host sites: according to Gemstar, viewers will be sent directly to the specific clip or program they are interested in viewing, bypassing the host site's homepage or other landing page. The company says that the Online Video Guard--which was built on the new Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (note: SharePoint is used to index and catalog video metadata)--includes a number of innovative and interactive advertising features. "Our research tells us that a majority of users searching for videos on the Internet are looking for specific, professionally produced content," Paul Greenberg, general manager of TV Guide Online, said in a prepared statement. "Our product will provide these users with a search and browse mechanism that is distinguished from others in the market by its ability to provide meaningful and relevant search results."
• The company has signed a long-term EPG data distribution and advertising agreement with CBS, that will enable data for its consumer electronics-focused EPG, TV Guide On Screen, to be distributed over CBS owned-and-operated stations and participating affiliates (note: data for the guides is currently distributed by PBS-subsidiary, National Datacast, via the vertical-blanking interval). According to the companies, distribution of the guide data will begin as soon as the necessary equipment is deployed, which they say will happen over the next few months. The deal will see CBS-owned and affiliated stations transmitting TV Guide On Screen data with their digital broadcast signals to digital TV and digital recording devices that incorporate the EPG. In exchange, CBS and its affiliates will have access to a portion of the EPG's advertising inventory to promote their programming nationally and locally. "CBS is available across the country and signing this agreement with them will allow for the TV Guide On Screen IPG data to have the broadest distribution possible, and will bring the ability to quickly and easily find the programming consumers demand to more than 95% of households nationwide," Tom Carson, Gemstar's president of North American interactive program guides, said in a prepared statement. "This is an important step as we move toward the FCC mandate of 100% digital transmission, which takes effect in 2009."
• The company has signed an agreement with incumbent US telco, Verizon, that will provide the latter with patent license rights for EPG's and other related technologies it uses on its FiOS TV service. In addition, the deal, which is Gemstar's first with a telco operating a pay-TV service, will see the companies collaborating on a solution that will enable FiOS TV customers to schedule recordings remotely on their DVR's, using TV Guide listings. "We are pleased to have this patent license agreement in place with Verizon, our first with a telco video provider," Gemstar CEO, Rich Battista, said in a prepared statement. "Following recent agreements with British Sky Broadcasting in the United Kingdom and with Yahoo!, this new Verizon deal signifies the continued and growing value of our intellectual property in new markets and platforms."
• The company's TV Guide Channel recently launched an interactive TV application on EchoStar's DISH Network. For more on the latter, see [itvt]'s exclusive report and interview with TV Guide Channel president, Ryan O'Hara, in Issue 7.28.

Aptiv Unveils New Versions of its EPG's, New and Revamped Applications

Aptiv Digital, the upstart EPG developer that was recently acquired by Gemstar-TV Guide (see [itvt] Issue 7.26 Part 1), unveiled a number of new products and applications at the NCTA Cable Show earlier this month, including new versions of its Passport, Passport DCT and Passport Echo EPG's. According to the company, the new versions of its EPG's are designed to support a set of new or revamped cross-platform interactive applications, that enable such features as VOD, video mosaics and TV-based caller ID. Aptiv also used the show to demo the Passport Echo EPG's OCAP support and consequently its compatibility with a number of OCAP software stacks and set-top boxes. "Cable Show attendees this year will experience brand new IPG versions and a range of applications to help cable operators redefine their service offerings and maximize the potential of their cable systems," Dan Ward, Aptiv's VP of sales and marketing, said in a prepared statement. "Our interactive program guides have new advanced feature sets and built-in seamless support for our new set of applications. Combining our applications such as Interactive Video Mosaic and iSubscribe or the new features of Venue and Video-on-Demand will provide MSO's with exceptional tools to drive revenue and customer satisfaction."

New and/or revamped applications and tools on display in Aptiv's Cable Show booth included:

• A version of the company's ShowRunner VOD application for the Motorola platform (note: the app has been available for the Scientific-Atlanta platform for around four years now). According to the company, ShowRunner is a client application that is headend-configurable for a variety of impulse-based services, including single-offer, f*ree-on-demand, transactional VOD, and subscription VOD. It is designed with a biaxial interface, so that genres or categories are menu-scrollable on the horizontal plane, displaying vertically scrollable and selectable titles. Aptiv claims that the menu "easily walks a viewer through" the VOD selection and purchase. The application's interface is also hierarchical, with super-categories, libraries and feature channels that are configurable as virtual channels, accessible directly or through the EPG.
• A version of the company's Venue product for the Motorola Platform (like ShowRunner VOD, Venue has been available for the Scientific-Atlanta platform for four years). Venue is a configurable template for creating custom, multilevel VOD applications: according to the company, multiple Venues can be seamlessly linked to create hierarchical on-demand menus, and each Venue screen in the navigational hierarchy can be configured to display a single category of listings and the return path to previous Venue levels. Aptiv claims that combining Venue's interconnectivity with ShowRunner VOD's architecture, MPEG stills and video streaming creates a customizable and intuitive hierarchical interface that seamlessly links navigational, informational and revenue-generating services. Venue can also be configured with a biaxial interface, including horizontally scrollable categories displaying vertically scrollable and selectable listings: in this configuration, it can be set as the default power-on channel, in order to promote premium channels and services.
• A new version of the company's Interactive Video Mosaic application that will be available in the next versions of Passport and Passport Echo for the Scientific-Atlanta platform (note: Interactive Video Mosaic recently launched as a product for the Passport DCT platform). The application is a multichannel/multiscreen showcase and navigator for promoting content: it provides cable operators with customizable or template-based video venues to display multiple thumbnail video streams on one channel; viewers can watch multiple scaled video streams, listen to each stream's audio feed by highlighting it, and launch services by selecting a video pane. In addition, more information about programs can be displayed by pressing the "info" button, and programs can be recorded directly from the application, when viewed via Passport Echo on a DVR set-top. Aptiv suggests that MSO's can use the app to drive revenue by streaming preview clips of premium services and linking to its iSubscribe impulse subscription app.
• Harvest, a viewership data collection tool that enables cable operators to track how their services are being utilized. According to Aptiv, the application protects the anonymity and privacy of the end-user by logging set-top usage without specific subscriber information. Because the usage data it generates is available on-demand, the company says, operators will be able to make programming and advertising decisions based on real-time data. The app produces a basic daily report generated from the collection of logs, as well as daily raw database files for advanced data mining. It is available for Passport, Passport DCT and Passport Echo.
• Bill View, an application that promotes bundled packages, while providing subscribers access to their billing information. The app is data configurable and can display bundled packages on screen. It is available for Passport, Passport DCT and Passport Echo.
• A new version of the company's Caller ID app that can run on Passport DCT and Passport Echo on the Motorola platform (it has been available on Passport and Passport Echo for the Scientific-Atlanta platform for over five years). The app, which Aptiv says is compatible with any backend caller ID solution, displays a banner at the bottom of the screen with the phone number, option line number, and name of the incoming caller. It allows end-users to display a call history of up to four phone lines by accessing preferences in the settings menu.
• Front Door, a tool designed to simplify the installation and management of Aptiv's new set of interactive TV applications. According to the company, it is a server-based application management portal that is scalable and enables customization of regional application deployment: MSO's can customize application deployment on a region-by-region or headend-by-headend basis for their entire system for a single Front Door server, Aptiv claims. The tool features administrative security, can be accessed from an Internet browser on any networked, authorized and Internet-ready PC, and enables the installation, configuration and removal of a variety of Aptiv applications.

Desktopbox Receives "Top Innovation" Award at NAB 2007

--CEO, Mike Church, Discusses Company's Offering and Plans with [itvt]

Toronto-based two-screen interactive TV technology provider, Desktopbox, last month received Television Broadcast magazine's Top Innovation Award at the NAB 2007 convention in Las Vegas. The award recognized the company's flagship Desktopbox Live software, which uses computer Web browser technologies to broadcast live Web pages a user might want to see while watching a TV show or listening to a radio program. According to Desktopbox, the platform is based on a synchronized broadcasting technology that allows producers to broadcast relevant Web URL's (for example, show-related trivia and other information, searches, and advertising) in real time to viewers' Internet browsers in sync with a TV show.

In order to experience enhanced broadcasts based on the platform, viewers must first download a zero-install, small-client player, called the "Projector," which receives URL commands from a remote server running the platform's broadcast server, and which points their computer browser to the specified Web pages. Viewers can choose from two broadcast "modes," designed to support live broadcast programming and VOD/PVR programming respectively. To ensure speedy delivery of Web pages during a live program, the platform allows producers to download and cache those pages' graphics and text to viewers' computers before they are displayed.

In order to enhance broadcasts using the Desktopbox platform, producers employ a tool, called "Producer," that allows them 1) to enter the URL's they wish to use in the sequence in which they will be delivered to viewers' computers, and 2) to schedule the times at which those URL's will be automatically delivered (note: for live broadcasts, such as sports, producers can trigger the delivery of each URL manually using an application called "Switch"). Once a list of URL's, complete with timing notations, has been created, it is then uploaded to the server for on-demand broadcast.

According to Desktopbox founder and CEO, Mike Church, the latest version of the Projector player has a scoreboard-style message window that allows broadcasters to give live text updates with just two to eight seconds of delay time. This, Church said, makes the application "perfect for sports, news and other live real-time broadcast coverage."

Church also explained to [itvt] how the Desktopbox system works with content recorded on a DVR, a VOD server, or DVD's: "When you download the Projector, you set it to 'VOD interactive' [VODi] mode, and hit 'Restart' as you start your DVD or VOD/PVR video material," he said. "Your computer will then sync for time-shifting." The different Projector playback modes allow the production of a live and an on-demand pre- and post-show for a live ETV production, Church added.

According to Church, Desktopbox is currently offering three scaled versions of its platform: the Desktopbox Production System, which provides producers just with the tools they need to author and test their presentations, the Desktopbox Broadcasting System, and the "full-blown version," Desktopbox CDN. Church told [itvt] that Desktopbox plans to formally release its 2.0 suite in July 2007 which includes new "Automator" and "Automator Server" modules. Desktopbox is also developing modules that tie into existing automation and traffic and billing systems, Church said.

Zappware Announces Range of "Platform-Independent" ITV Applications

At the ANGA Cable Convention in Germany earlier this month, Belgian interactive TV technology provider, Zappware (provides applications, authoring tools and management products), announced that it is ready to market a range of "platform-independent" ITV applications. According to the company, the new product line includes a portal, an EPG, a "start-over-TV" app, a VOD app, and customer-premises and network PVR apps. The apps were demo'd in Scientific-Atlanta's ANGA booth.

Disney, Cox Team on Trial of Ad-Skipping-Proof VOD

Walt Disney Company-subsidiaries, Disney-ABC Television Group and ESPN, and cable MSO, Cox Communications, have announced a trial which they say is designed to test several advanced VOD services: Cox and ABC have signed a non-binding letter of intent outlining the project, and are in the process of finalizing the terms of their p*artnership. They say that the trial will begin in Cox's Orange County, California cable system this fall, and will then be rolled out in other markets.

The companies have described what they term the "key elements" of the planned trial:

• Episodes of four ABC primetime series--"Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," and "Ugly Betty"--as well as select college football coverage from ESPN that airs on ABC, will be made available to Cox digital customers through the ad-supported f*reeZone section of the MSO's VOD service on the day after their broadcast premiere. Significantly, Cox will disable the fast-forward option on its VOD service for all this content.
• Disney-ABC and Cox will work together to test dynamic ad insertion on Cox's VOD platform when that technology becomes operational.
• ABC will syndicate its broadband player to Cox (note: this is the first time that the broadcaster has syndicated the player to a cable operator), so that Orange County-based users of Cox's Cox.net broadband portal will be able to watch ad-supported, full-length episodes of various ABC primetime series online, the day after their linear broadcast.

"This project is another example of how our digital strategy integrates into our overall business strategy," Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, said in a prepared statement. "It provides consumers with more access to our hit programming, while showcasing our continued dedication to working with our distribution and advertising p*artners to develop and grow viable multiplatform business opportunities that better meet the evolving needs of our industry."

CSTV to Offer VOD Channels Devoted to High School Sports

CBS Sports-subsidiary, CSTV (stands for "College Sports Television"), has announced plans to create VOD channels dedicated to high school sports. The company has contracted LRMR Innovative Marketing and Branding, a youth-marketing and sponsorship company founded by NBA player, LeBron James, and Maverick Carter to assist the project with marketing, branding, promotion and sponsorship opportunities: according to CSTV, LRMR has signed deals with several high-profile companies, including Coca-Cola, Nike and Microsoft. The channels' content--which CSTV says will include extensive highlights of a broad range of local games--will be provided by MaxPreps, a division of CSTV that specializes in aggregating high school sports content. The channels will be organized on a state-by-state basis: while some of their programming will be exclusive to each local channel, other programs will be shared between all the channels, including programs covering athlete profiles, rankings, training and championships. According to CSTV, each VOD channel may be co-branded in p*artnership with distributors in its local market. "Millions of families across the country are connected to high school sports in ways that are unequaled in the world of sports," CSTV president and CEO, Brian Bedol, said in a prepared statement. "But until now, there were no efficient means of delivering this fragmented content onto the television screen. Now, thanks to advances in production and distribution technologies and CSTV's unique sports aggregation infrastructure, these passionate athletes, their families, friends and local communities can relive the achievements and victories of millions of student athletes."

Scripps Networks to Offer "Next Food Network Star" on VOD

--FoodNetwork.com Launches Interactive Video Cookbook

Scripps Networks has announced plans to make episodes of the new season of the Food Network reality TV series, "The Next Food Network Star" (premieres June 3rd), available on VOD the day after their linear-TV broadcast, together with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and sneak previews of upcoming episodes. "'The Next Food Network Star' is a popular program with an audience that is hungry for more," Patty Lumpkin, SVP of affiliate marketing at Scripps Networks, said in a prepared statement. "Offering this exclusive footage, as well as the episodes on VOD the next day, is going to create a whole new audience for the linear program as well as bring new viewers to on-demand. Once their appetites are whetted with 'The Next Food Network Star,' they'll want more and we can satisfy that craving with our VOD exclusives." In order to promote the availability of the show and its "extras" on VOD, Scripps plans to run dekocasts on some repeat episodes, as well as messaging on the show's homepage.

In related news, on May 29th FoodNetwork.com launched an "interactive cookbook," consisting of a collection of broadband videos starring Ellie Krieger, the host of the Food Network show, "Healthy Appetite." Entitled "Ellie Krieger's Healthy Recipes" and sponsored by Saturn and MasterCard, the interactive cookbook will offer four new recipe videos (for breakfast, l*unch, dinner and snacks respectively) each week, many of which, Food Network claims, are original and exclusive; as well as a weekly bonus video tip on such topics as rules for reading food labels, ways of lightening one's diet, and getting "easy, measure-f*ree portions." Ultimately, the channel says, the interactive cookbook "will have 20 recipes for five days of nutritious meals morning to night." Each broadband video recipe will be accompanied by printable directions and a nutritional breakdown.

ViTrue Powers User-Generated Video Contest for FX

ViTrue, the user-generated advertising/marketing company that was formed last year by ex-Tandberg Television president, Reggie Bradford, with financial backing from Bradford himself and from General Catalyst p*artners (note: the company recently secured a round of strategic funding from Comcast Interactive Capital and Turner Broadcasting--see [itvt] Issue 7.03 Part 1), is powering a UGC contest for Fox's FX channel. Entitled "Sunny SuperFan," the contest is designed to find the "ultimate fan" of the FX comedy series, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," which will begin its third season in late summer. The winner of the contest will be announced on the air in July, and will be featured--together with the cast of the show--on billboards in select cities throughout the US.

The contest invites viewers to create and submit (on a dedicated Web site) a one-minute video explaining why they are show's ultimate "SuperFan." FX will then select 20 of the videos and post them on a special voting area on the promotion's dedicated Web site, allowing viewers to vote for their favorite (note: ViTrue's platform will enable viewers to view the video entries and cast their votes; the company touts the platform as "enabl[ing] organizations to promote brand consistency by retaining the look-and-feel of [their] own branded Web sites). "Savvy cable networks are quickly realizing that user-generated video is a huge opportunity due to the immense popularity of social networking sites," Bradford said in a prepared statement. "User- generated video has proven to extend brands by encouraging viewer participation through online communities. We're thrilled to further integrate video into the already active and flourishing community that FX has built as an important element of its online presence."

Brightcove in Broadband Video Deal with CBS News

Broadband video publishing company, Brightcove, says that CBS News will use its service to syndicate advertising-supported video across the Internet. According to the companies, the p*artnership will expand the non-linear distribution of CBS News content (currently available on AOL News, Comcast and YouTube) to thousands of small and medium-sized Web sites and blogs (note: the deal will also see Brightcove offering CBS News content on its own broadband video portal, Brightcove.com). Brightcove's managed syndication service will allow approved Web site operators to embed a CBS News video player directly into their sites: the player will offer video from "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," "The Early Show," and other CBS News programs, as well as video produced by CBS News exclusively for the Web. In order to receive permission to carry CBS News on their sites, site operators will need to fill out an application on cbsnews.com or on Brightcove's syndication marketplace site. "This p*artnership underscores CBS News' ongoing strategy of making our programming available on multiple platforms, while also generating additional revenue," Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, said in a prepared statement. "Through this arrangement with Brightcove, we hope to meet the seemingly insatiable appetite for news online by building new distribution relationships and creating new opportunities for our advertisers."

MuchMusic Offers Broadband Video Service for "People's Choice"

Canadian music programmer, MuchMusic, contacted [itvt] last week to let us know that it is making the music videos that have been nominated for the People's Choice category of its June 17th MuchMusic Video Awards available on its broadband video Web site, MuchAXS. In addition to voting for their favorite nominated videos online and via SMS (note: viewers can vote as often as they want, and there is no charge for voting), visitors to the site can click on links to ringtones and downloads from all 20 nominated artists. There are four categories of People's Choice award: Favorite Canadian Artist, Favorite International Artist, Favorite Canadian Group, and Favorite International Group.

DirecTV, Weapon7, MediaCom Create ITV Advertising Campaign for Shell

US satellite TV provider, DirecTV, and UK-based interactive TV agency, Weapon7 (note: the latter, which was acquired last November by marketing services group, Omnicom, has created interactive TV campaigns for such clients as Honda, Adidas, Orange, Smirnoff, Microsoft, Nokia and Bacardi), have teamed with MediaCom to develop and launch a global interactive TV advertising campaign for Royal Dutch Shell. The new campaign, which has been running both in the UK and the US (note: DirecTV is running the campaign on channel 115, its dedicated 24/7 interactive advertising channel; DirecTV subs with ITV-enabled receivers access the channel through their EPG or through DirecTV Active by selecting the Dynamic Ad Unit banner video window), focuses on what the companies term "Shell's creative energy solutions." The companies worked with MediaCom and JWT London to create an interactive ad showcasing "Eureka," the first in a series of short films commissioned by Shell as part of a global campaign designed to convince consumers of the oil company's commitment to a responsible energy future: the movie purports to show how Shell is innovating and solving problems associated with energy and the environment while exploring for oil. "Working with Weapon7 and MediaCom on Shell's new 'Eureka' campaign has given DirecTV the opportunity to evolve its current interactive advertising platform to a global level," Bob Riordan, DirecTV's SVP of advertising sales, said in a prepared statement. "With past interactive campaigns that have delivered more than a million unique visitors over a one-week timeframe, this new ability to support cross-platform campaigns and deliver an interactive advertising solution for global brands will provide our clients with even more opportunities to effectively distribute their messages to their target audiences. Weapon7 has developed a seamless interactive experience for Shell's US audience, and we are excited to be working with them." Added Weapon7 managing p*artner, Steven Hess: "This campaign is the clearest manifestation so far of the role of traditional broadcast TV as the start of the journey, marking a shift in the way broadcast is being used to drive viewers to content on a platform. The campaign has proved hugely successful after running on the Sky platform in the UK, clearly demonstrating that Shell is a company with creative energy, and we look forward to similar success in the US."

According to the companies, Weapon7 and MediaCom approached DirecTV, after being asked to bring Shell's new movie to the US via interactive TV platforms. DirecTV customers are being encouraged to interact with the film through a dedicated trailer conceived by Weapon7 and JWT. The interactive campaign ran in the UK during March. DirecTV's involvement with the campaign is under the auspices of its Advertising Development p*artner Program, which it launched in September, 2005. According to the company, the program is designed to provide clients with "a robust interactive advertising and research vehicle that spans across multiple DirecTV product platforms, such as interactive basic set-top receivers and digital video recorders."

BT Begins Multi-Million-Pound Marketing Push for BT Vision IPTV Service

UK incumbent telco, BT, has begun a multi-million-pound advertising campaign and marketing push for BT Vision, the IPTV service which it soft-launched late last year (note: the service is based on Microsoft TV's IPTV Edition middleware; for an in-depth overview of BT Vision, see [itvt] Issue 7.08 Part 2).The campaign, which touts BT Vision as the UK's most flexible digital television service, and which was designed by AMV BBDO, includes national TV advertising, supported by a range of print, broadcast and online ads. It kicked off on May 12th with the broadcast of two new 60-second spots during the Independent Television Network (ITV) show, "Grease is the Word." The spots star Kris Marshall and Esther Hall as a couple called Adam and Jane, who, BT says, "rush home from work, anticipating their ideal night of TV via BT Vision--be it through f*reeview, BT Vision's broad choice of on-demand content, or a program stored on the PVR." The TV spots are supported by a national poster campaign across billboards and bus sides, including a specially executed poster for the Clapham Colossus at Clapham Junction, which, at 200 feet, is the largest backlit poster site in Europe. Other elements of the campaign include print advertising in newspapers and magazines, and rich media advertising on the home pages of MSN, Yahoo! and AOL. BT has also revamped the BT Vision home page on its own Web site.

As part of its marketing efforts, BT is making the special HD-ready set-top box that supports BT Vision available in high-street retailer, John Lewis, and says that it will also be available in Comet stores this summer. The so-called "V-box," which is manufactured by Philips, features broadband connectivity via BT's BT Broadband service (which the telco says has a guaranteed line speed of 2Mbps), as well as a digital terrestrial tuner (BT is positioning the service as a supplement to the UK's f*ree-to-air digital terrestrial service, f*reeview, rather than a full, standalone pay-TV service). It also contains an 80-hour PVR. BT is offering the box f*ree-of-charge to BT Broadband customers, and points out that, "unlike its main competitors," it does not levy a monthly subscription for PVR service. Currently, the box must be installed by a BT engineer (for a £60 installation fee), though BT says that it will launch a self-install version of BT Vision later this year.

Users of the service do not have to pay a mandatory monthly subscription fee: they can either purchase individual on-demand programs and movies on a pay-per-view basis, or subscribe to various on-demand programming blocks and services. Content on offer includes current and library movies, music videos, concert coverage, children's programming, and recent and classic television. BT claims that BT Vision offers movies at lower prices than competing cable and satellite services and video-rental chains. The service also offers a catch-up TV service, featuring programming from the previous week's broadcast schedule. Later this summer, a BT Vision Sports offering will be launched, which will offer a broad selection of Premiership soccer and other on-demand sports coverage, as well as live Premiership and Scottish Premier League soccer coverage from the Setanta Sports channel.

In making the business case for BT Vision as a largely pay-per-view service designed to supplement rather than supersede f*reeview, BT cites research which it claims shows that over 40% of existing f*reeview customers "would like more channels but do not want to pay a compulsory subscription" and that "70% of dissatisfied satellite and cable customers believe their current TV platform is too expensive." The company says that it is aiming to attract "hundreds of thousands of customers" for BT Vision by the end of the year, and "2-3 million customers in the medium term."

In related news: BT says it has secured an agreement with CBS Paramount International TV that will see the latter supplying BT Vision with such shows as "Sex and the City" and "Twin Peaks."

Interpublic Purchases Subscription to TiVo StopWatch Ratings Service

--Kaplan Thaler Group Launches New Branding Campaign for TiVo

DVR vendor/service provider, TiVo, says that the Interpublic Group of Companies (which is comprised of a number of advertising agencies and marketing services companies), has purchased a corporate subscription to its TiVo StopWatch ratings service. The subscription will be funded through Interpublic's Emerging Media Lab and by participating agencies, and will provide the company's media specialist agencies, including Magna Global, Initiative and Universal McCann, with full access to the service and its research. StopWatch is designed to provide second-by-second program and commercial ratings: Interpublic plans to use it to enable its agencies to more effectively identify and analyze how fast-forwarding affects commercial ratings and viewer engagement. The service, which launched in February, is operated by TiVo's Audience Research & Measurement unit, which derives data from a daily, random, anonymous, stratified sample of 20,000 TiVo set-tops, from which a second-by-second "clickstream" of behavior and viewership is collected and assessed. The service offers monthly primetime and daytime viewership reports for nationally broadcast programs and commercials, dating back to September, 2006. The reports break down key data for total viewing, live viewing, time-shifted viewing (less than an hour; 1-6 hours; 24-28 hours; and 2-7 days), program ratings, and commercial ratings, and provide a commercial viewership index. "Subscribing to the TiVo StopWatch ratings service enables us to better understand second-by-second commercial viewership during time-shifted and live viewing," Larry Blasius, EVP and director of negotiations at MAGNA Global, the Interpublic-subsidiary that negotiated the deal, said in a prepared statement. "We are committed to delivering maximum results for our clients, with return on investment for their media choices. The data provided by the TiVo StopWatch ratings service will start to provide us with the ability to help our clients better understand today's DVR-enabled television viewer, so we can refine our creative and media buying strategies as DVR's proliferate. It also complements the extensive proprietary commercial pod analyses MAGNA Global has conducted, and will help us determine the dynamics of commercial pods built up from seconds compared to those limited to minute data currently available from Nielsen."

In other TiVo news, the Kaplan Thaler Group, which won the TiVo account in January (see [itvt] Issue 7.22 Part 1), has launched a new branding campaign for the company. The campaign, which features the tagline, "My TiVo Gets Me," is, according to the companies, designed to illustrate "the strong relationship consumers have with TiVo," to highlight "the differentiating features of TiVo DVR's versus generic DVR's," and to reinforce the message that the TiVo platform is not just a DVR, but "smart, intuitive technology with a human touch, so much so that its users often assign human-like qualities to the TiVo brand." Specifically, the campaign features various people wearing the antennas from the TiVo logo, discussing how "My TiVo Gets Me," and highlighting unique features of the TiVo service. The campaign includes TV, movie-theater, out-of-home and online media, as well as a new microsite, mytivogetsme.com. TiVo is also using its own interactive advertising technology, including its iPreview tags, to provide its subscribers with behind-the-scenes footage of the campaign and to encourage them to submit their own stories for promotional purposes.

HTTV in VOD/nPVR/IPTV Deal with Anevia

French interactive TV technology and services provider, HTTV (note: the company, whose name is an acronym for "High-Tech Television," claims to have launched over 50 interactive TV services on 12 different DTV networks in Europe and Asia, including Canalsat, TPS, UPC, and Telewest; its best-known service is the PMU horserace-betting service, which is available in France), has signed a p*artnership agreement with Anevia, a telecom equipment provider that specializes in products for IPTV, VOD and network PVR. The deal calls for the companies to promote each other's products, and to cooperate on technology development and marketing, in order to offer end-to-end VOD and nPVR solutions for IPTV providers. "Synergies between both companies are obvious," HTTV's director of sales and marketing, Jean-Christophe Jubin, said in a prepared statement. "Together, we are able to offer a reliable and cost-effective set of solutions for IPTV networks. We are very pleased to put this agreement into place with Anevia, a fast-growing challenger in the VOD industry." The companies recently demo'd an end-to-end VOD solution and an nPVR solution based on HTTV's middleware and Anevia's VOD servers at the IPTV Forum in Prague.

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