Marketing opportunities

This new interactive TV service has been brought to market in less than 3 months, accelerated by leveraging AOL's existing experience in delivering mobile, WAP-based services and exploiting this experience with Sky's WapTV technology.

The service, which combines email, instant messaging plus simple text-based news and weather is available to existing AOL subscribers by pressing the red button whilst watching a Sky channel. Viewers log in using their existing AOL email address/screen name. Calls to the service are charged at the standard local rate - plus an initial 12 pence connection charge per call.

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Enhanced TV is now seen as the next big opportunity to drive mass market audiences to interact with their televisions, to press the "red button" and drive up revenues per subscriber.

It is hoped that presenters or promos will provide a much more effective incentive to the audience to participate with their remote controls.

However as iTV genres go, Enhanced TV is very, very new. It would appear that good enhanced TV requires meaningful co-operation with the digital TV platforms, the TV channels and the programme makers and remains the most immature of iTV genres.

The examples below clearly illustrate the technical and logistical challenges of providing valuable supporting information whilst not detracting from the main programme narrative. One of the biggest challenges facing broadcasters is how to integrate iTV production into the main production cycle. Another major issue is how to reliably synchronise interactive elements with the linear programme.

The Broadband Bananas Video Vault showcases interactive TV services from around the world with video examples, case studies and screenshots. Use the menu to the left to explore more than 200 interactive television examples.

To view the video you must subscribe as a member. This subscription is free of charge.

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Categories include:

• Mobile and Messaging 
• Enhanced TV | Part 2 | Part 3 |
• Information, Magazines & Classifieds 
• Sports & Sports Betting 
• Shopping, Banking & Services 
• Games & Gaming 
• EPG's & Navigation 
• Interactive Advertising 
• Platform Marketing
• MHP & "Pre-Launch" Services 
  
  

Fast to load and very intuitive and simple to use, Nova's Weather service provides graphic weather charts for Greece covering "today" and "tomorrow", plus also offers localised forecasts for the major Greek cities.

The local city forecasts are quickly accessed by pressing OK when the application is in either "today" or "tomorrow" mode.

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In this section we will be featuring videos of iTV services that are yet to launch publically or which have been developed for broadcast on MHP platforms.

If you have a video to submit for this section, please contact us.

We will also shortly be enhancing our site with further information on the MHP standard via our resources section. Should you wish to participate further in BroadbandBananas MHP initatives, please do take the time to drop us a line.

Following the initial terrestrial broadcast of Pyramid, Pyramid Challenge is currently running 24 hours a day to digital satellite and terrestrial (Freeview) homes.

Pyramid Challenge - The Book of Buried Pearls" is, according the the BBC, "the world's first interactive TV adventure story". The programe uses the switching of four seperate video feeds so that the viewer can choose their own path throughout the adventure by using their remote control.

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Similar to the French Star Academy format, (see below) Operacion Triunfo follows a group of people through the trials and tribulations of becoming a star - with a major difference. The winner of the show will go on to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest. This magazine style application, accessible from a banner call to action - or from the OK Plus portal - provides rich background on the show.

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The network vows to provide high speed internet connectivity throughout the West Coast line even in tunnel sections, and the initial rollout of the Wi-Fi service would include 52 trains. T-Mobile, in conjunction with Nomad Digital, already offers Wi-Fi connectivity on Heathrow express services and on London to Brighton Southern track.

The tie-up is expected to a see a ramping up of engineering capacity at Inuk’s South Wales operation, as it moves from a closed network provider of so call internet protocol television (IPTV) content – mainly Freeview channels to student halls of residence in the UK – to the more lucrative open internet networks market.

With three simultaneous streams the Apps World (www.apps-world.net) event aims to address the entire app ecosystem, and the challenge of delivery, development and design of apps across multiple platforms. A truly international event, that brings together leading operators and app stores worldwide, and is the first show to draw in parallels between the emergence of the TV apps store, and the challenge to pay tv operators, and the challenges mobile operators face, device manufactures and the emergence of the tablet apps marketplace.

Putting the Home Network to Work - WHITEPAPER

A key factor to consider regarding the rapid adoption of home data networking equipment since 1998 is the very practical purpose that these solutions have and continue to serve in the vast majority of U.S. households.

Sponsorship opportunities

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Our BroadbandBananas event attendees come from some of the leading companies in the Broadband and Interactive Television Industries.

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Interactive Advertising Whitepaper - Open TV

Television advertising is transforming. The proliferation of channels and the advent of interactive television are creating a new landscape for advertisers. The interactive and personalized nature of iTV lends itself well to targeted advertising.

MTV have enhanced this year's EMA's with a joint iTV/SMS based celebrity text chat service. The service is only available to viewers aged 16 plus and costs at least 50 pence per message sent - so a long chat conversation could end up being expensive!

Once registered on to the service with a nickname and their date of birth, viewers can send their messages to a guest chat host at the standard SMS rate (roughly 10-12 pence) however MTV then send a "message received" confirmation which is reverse billed at a whopping 50 pence!

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The BBC has launched a new improved version of their interactive Wimbledon service on Sky Digital.

As well as featuring the multiple video feeds from the various courts, as seen in previous years, the service now includes SMS chat on a variety of subjects, e.g ‘Who is your tip for the men’s title?’ with the archive of messages easily browseable using the remote’s up and down keys. Comprehensive news and live scores are also accessible by pressing Blue.

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Whilst the original Domino's T-Commerce service (see below) was much richer in graphics and performed fairly fast for an application created in Open Author, the WTVML based version that is currently in operation on Sky Active provides Domino's with a more economic solution.

With this WTVML based application much of the content is transferred to the STV via the modem, and therefore the application uses much less satellite bandwidth. Also becuase the box dials up before placing an order, it can easily provide the viewer with the ability to consult and repeat their previous order.

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During March 2004, Sky launched Sky Vegas Live, a slicker and more upmarket competitor to AVAGO, the first interactive Bingo/Keno channel in the UK.

For those of you outside the UK who've yet to see Sky Vegas Live, we're providing you with an opportunity to see a short video here.

Sky have managed to learn from the experience of AVAGO and have upped the production value stakes to create a slicker offering, but one which still plays on the fact that viewers like to see and hear their name on TV. Sky's channel has a primary position in the Sky EPG, just below Sky's Movie channels and also benefits from additionally being stripped across Sky One Mix's schedule on a daily basis during a late night, post-pub slot.

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