games

New Interviews on Real-Time VOD Ad Insertion and Developing ARG's for "Lost" and "FlashForward"

October 16, 2009
--Plus The iTV Doctor on Interactive TV for "Fans," Set Top Box 2009 Coverage, and More
[itvt] has just published interviews with senior executives from 1) BlackArrow , an advanced advertising specialist which announced earlier this week that its VOD ad-insertion platform--which enables ads to be inserted into VOD content on-the-fly--has gone live with Comcast in Jacksonville, Florida; and 2) Hoodlum , an alternate reality gaming (ARG) specialist which recently won a primetime Emmy for "The Dharma Initiative: Dharma Wants You," an ARG it created for the ABC drama series, "Lost,"...

AT&T Trials Multiview Interactive TV Application for Dallas Mavericks Basketball Games

October 12, 2009
--Says It Has No "Immediate Plans" to Bring Similar Team-Specific Apps to Other Markets or Games
AT&T is providing Dallas and Fort Worth-area customers of its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, U-verse TV , with a " Dallas Mavericks Multiview " interactive TV application intended to enhance their viewing of Dallas Mavericks basketball games. The application is a team-specific implementation of the new AT&T U-verse TV Multiview application format that was profiled in an article published on itvt.com, September 14th (note: an example of AT&T U-verse TV's new Sports Multiview application, which...

Showtime Offering Multiplatform/Interactive Enhancements for "Dexter"

October 12, 2009
--Enhancements Include Original Animated Webisodes, Interactive Video Game on YouTube
Premium programmer, Showtime Networks , has launched a range of multiplatform and interactive enhancements for its original series, " Dexter " (centers on a serial killer with a strict moral code, played by Michael C. Hall, who delivers vigilante justice). The enhancements include: A 12-part animated Web series, entitled "Dexter: Early Cuts," which is slated to launch on Showtime's Web site (sho.com) and on VOD platforms on October 25th, and which is intended to show...

Visiware Launches Playin'TV Interactive TV Games on DartyBox THD

October 04, 2009
Paris-based interactive TV games company, Visiware (note: the company claims that its games are available on 30 cable, satellite and IPTV platforms, including DISH Network, Bell TV, Wind, Videotron, Canalsat, TPS, Numericable, Sky Italia, UPC, Nova, Multichoice, Dish TV India, StarHub, True Visions, Austar, Foxtel and Sky New Zealand), announced last week that its Playin'TV ITV games channel has launched on Darty's DartyBox THD service. According to the company, customers of that service--which launched in...

Icareus in Interactive TV Games Deal with Chinese IPTV Provider, Shanghai Telecom

September 30, 2009
--BNS in IPTV Deal with Taiwan's Max Media
Helsinki-based interactive TV company, Icareus (note: the company's offerings include a range of authoring and delivery solutions for MHP, OCAP/tru2way, MHEG and other platforms, as well as an extensive catalog of off-the-shelf interactive TV games and other applications), said Wednesday that it has signed a cooperation agreement with Shanghai Telecom, a subsidiary of telecommunications giant, China Telecom. The agreement, which was signed earlier this month, calls for Icareus's content-production arm, Icareus Studios, to provide Shanghai...

beActive Launches Multiplatform Interactive TV Series, "Final Punishment"

September 28, 2009
--Show Features Alternate Reality Game, Realized via Web, Phone and TV
beActive , the Portuguese company that created the high-profile multiplatform interactive TV series, "Sofia's Diary" and "Flatmates," contacted [itvt] Monday to let us know that it is launching its first horror-themed multiplatform interactive TV production, in partnership with Brazilian telco, OI Telecom. Entitled "Final Punishment" (with episodes located on a dedicated Web site, http://www.castigofinal.com.br ), the show centers on eight women imprisoned in a high-security Brazilian prison. beActive describes the show's concept thus: "These women,...

Sky Player on Xbox 360 to Launch Mid-October

September 28, 2009
--Service to Feature Interactive TV Services, Including Avatar-Driven Social Viewing
According to an article in the October issue of BSkyB's subscriber publication, Sky Magazine, a version of its Sky Player broadband TV service will be available on the Microsoft Xbox 360 console in mid-October. Sky Player on Xbox 360, which was first announced in May ( see the article published on itvt.com, May 29th ) and which will feature a range of live and on-demand programming, will require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and will...

TransGaming Forms "Strategic Collaboration" with Intel for its GameTree.tv Games Service

September 27, 2009
--Receives Investment from Intel Capital
Toronto-based TransGaming announced last week that it has formed a "strategic collaboration" with Intel that will see the latter supporting its on-demand gaming service, GameTree.tv; and also announced that Intel's global investment arm, Intel Capital, has made a $500,000 investment in it which it says it will use to accelerate development of GameTree.tv, enabling it to launch the service commercially in the second quarter of next year. According to TransGaming, GameTree.tv will be available to...

Visiware Teams with Mattel to Launch Interactive TV Game, "Scrabble Words"

September 27, 2009
Paris-based interactive TV games company, Visiware (note: the company claims that its games are available on 30 cable, satellite and IPTV platforms, including DISH Network, Bell TV, Wind, Videotron, Canalsat, TPS, Numericable, Sky Italia, UPC, Nova, Multichoice, Dish TV India, StarHub, True Visions, Austar, Foxtel and Sky New Zealand), announced last week that it has added a new game, "Scrabble Words," to its Playin'TV catalog. The game is the result of a collaboration between Visiware...

New "iTV Doctor" Column Features Visiware's Laurant Weill Discussing Interactive TV Games

September 20, 2009
--Plus Blog Posts on Mobile TV Advertising, 3D TV, ZillionTV, Product Placement, TV Widgets, and More
[itvt] has just published the latest edition of Rick Howe 's regular column , "The i TV Doctor Is In!" This week, Laurant Weill , president and executive chairman of Visiware , discusses what the interactive TV industry can learn from interactive TV games and gamers.

In addition, we have essays from [itvt] blogger, Edgar Villalpando , SVP of marketing at ActiveVideo Networks, on mobile TV advertising and on a new Nielsen...

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