social tv

DISH Network announced Wednesday that it has launched Tetris TV, a subscription-based interactive TV games service from cross-platform casual games company, Oberon Media, which licenses the rights to the Tetris format from The Tetris Company. Oberon, which plans to roll out Tetris TV with additional partners worldwide, says that DISH Network is the first company to launch the service in North America. DISH Network customers can subscribe to the new service, which is priced at $2.99 per month, via the satellite TV service's interactive TV portal, DISH Home, and via interactive banner ads.

Because the [itvt] editorial team is busy working on The TV of Tomorrow Show (March 3rd-4th in San Francisco) and on our new EBIF Intensive event (March 5th in San Francisco), we will be covering most stories in summary/round-up form over the next few weeks. Here is a round-up of interactive TV content news for the past few days:

Akoo, a Chicago-based company that operates a social music television network for out-of-home environments (note: earlier this month, the company announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded it a patent covering "an apparatus and method of using mobile devices to select on-demand content and socially interact with programming across networked digital video and Internet protocol television services through SMS text messaging or mobile applications"--see the article published on itvt.com, January 14th), on Monday announced the results of an advertising effectiveness study that focuses on the social TV space.

Vpype, which describes itself as a "social video company," announced last week that it has begun a public beta of its Vpype Live Broadcaster Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/vpypebroadcaster), which it says will enable all 350 million Facebook users to create and share live, interactive video. According to the company, the app is easy to use and, among other things, allows end-users to create scheduled or unscheduled interactive live shows, send video notes, store past broadcasts complete with audience participation, and share videos through Facebook.

The BBC has unveiled its multiplatform/interactive TV coverage plans for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. According to the corporation:

Interactive broadband video advertising technology provider, Jivox, on Tuesday launched custom interactivity features in its platform, which it says turn online video ads into interactive applications that drive user engagement and direct response.

Akoo, a Chicago-based company that operates a social music television network for out-of-home environments, announced Wednesday that the US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded it a patent (#7,647,613) covering "an apparatus and method of using mobile devices to select on-demand content and socially interact with programming across networked digital video and Internet protocol (IP) television services through SMS text messaging or mobile applications."

According to Akoo, the patented technology currently powers its out-of-home social music TV network. However, the company says, its "patent portfolio strategy includes additional applications in the home, as well as across multiple platforms, including social media, mobile, and gaming consoles."

TV Guide Network on Monday announced two new initiatives which it says will make its 2010 award-season live red-carpet telecasts "more fun, fashionable and interactive for the fans at home."

MobileTribe--a company which describes itself as an enabler of cloud-based converged services across multiple screens and which recently announced the launch of a service that it bills as bringing online social networking to the Roku over-the-top-TV platform (see the article published on itvt.com, December 7th)--on Tuesday announced that the service now supports YouTube. The company previously announced support for Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Google, Flickr, Picasa and Yahoo.

Boulder, Colorado-based start-up, FreedTV, on Wednesday launched what it bills as "the first cross-platform social media television application supporting real-time connectivity to mainstream television set-top boxes." In association with its existing Facebook WIWA (stands for "What I'm Watching") and iPhone applications, the company says, the new FreedTV Video Service Provider (VSP) app "combines the compelling content of broadcast and cable television with the peer-to-peer communication of social networking to create a new standard in interactive television." "Television viewing was once a social experience based on 'event' programming, like 'The Wonderful World of

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).

Kyte, a San Francisco-based company that offers a social-enabled broadband and mobile video platform for live and on-demand content (note: it bills its platform as "combin[ing] the real-time, interactive and community building capabilities of the social Web with professional-grade analytics and content management features, enabling businesses and organizations to engage online and mobile audiences and build community around their brand"), and independent digital agency, Level Studios, on Tuesday announced the formation of a strategic partnership that they say will enable companies and brands to maximize their online, s

Epix--a multiplatform subscription-based premium programming service which is a joint venture between Viacom, its Paramount Pictures arm, MGM and Lionsgate and which has exclusive access to Paramount, Paramount Vantage MTV and Nickelodeon movies released theatrically on or after January 1st, 2008, and to MGM, United Artists and Lionsgate titles released theatrically on or after January 1st, 2009 (note: the service is currently available only on Verizon FiOS TV and online)--on Tuesday announced the launch of a social/interactive TV service on its Web site, EpixHD.com.

MSNBC, a US cable news channel that is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal, on Tuesday unveiled a new design and various new interactive features for its msnbc.com embeddable video player. According to the company, the newly enhanced video player now allows viewers to adjust its video screen to three different sizes, making it easier for them to customize it so that it fits easily on their own Web sites and blogs.

UK commercial terrestrial broadcaster, ITV (note: the name stands for "Independent Television Network), and video-sharing site, YouTube, are teaming on an interactive Christmas promotion for ITV's flagship daytime show, "This Morning."