TV2 Using never.no's Technology both as Content Management Hub and to Enable Interactive TV

Norwegian interactive TV software company, never.no, said Tuesday that Norway's largest commercial broadcaster, TV2, has deployed its Auto Dialog System, Interactivity Desk and Dynamic Content Scheduler technologies behind-the-scenes, in order to create a single management hub for one-click publishing of digital content, regardless of its source or destination. The company says that the same technologies are also enabling TV2 viewers to use their mobiles and laptops to make live, real-time contributions during sports broadcasts and talk shows. "The easy-to-manage never.no system greatly simplifies both our ability to move content around and our interactive offerings," Havard Myklebust, TV2's managing editor and head of acquisition, said in a prepared statement. "Having this single, unified system is a huge improvement to our efficiency, potentially saves us a huge amount of expense, and also enables us to spend more time doing our jobs well and less time developing broadcast software. The interactivity aspect is increasingly important to all our viewers, especially to the younger ones who want to be able to respond when something is said in the studio."

According to never.no, the TV2 deployment sees its technology taking incoming feeds from "as many sources as desired," including internal content, Web sites, databases and SMS feeds, and aggregating them on a single Web interface that is operated by a technician: the company says that the interface allows the technician, with one mouse click, to then publish content to its destination, with the system automating every step of the process, including graphics interpolation and formatting.

never.no bills this automated solution as supporting streamlined production and efficiency, because it eliminates time-consuming hands-on manipulation of individual items, which it says can be particularly onerous in fast-changing contexts like news and sports. The number of sources is theoretically limitless, the company claims, while destination platforms could be the TV2 Web site, a news crawl, an in-studio touchscreen wall, or social media.

never.no also claims that its interactivity suite is flexible enough that TV2 staff can easily change sources and destinations using key words. At present, the broadcaster is using the management hub only for sports broadcasts, but plans to start using it for news broadcasts this summer, never.no says.

In addition to using never.no's technology behind-the-scenes for managing and routing content, TV2 is using it to enable viewers to use their mobiles or Twitter to send comments that appear in near-real time on an in-studio touchscreen during live sports talk shows. During a recent Sunday-night soccer match, for example, never.no says, a viewer was able to follow up repeatedly with questions for the commentators. "TV2 is leading the way with its phase-in of a comprehensive use of never.no's technology," never.no CEO, Lars Lauritzsen, said in a prepared statement. "This innovative, behind-the-scenes deployment points the way for broadcasters who want to streamline and enhance the efficiency of their operations by automating hands-on tasks. Simply put, to deliver cutting-edge services faster, and save cost in the process. The never.no interactivity products increase the amount of information a broadcaster can monitor and disseminate, while simplifying its ability to utilize timely and effectively all the information on screen, on the Web, and in mobile services."

A video of never.no's technology in use at TV2 is embedded above.