KIT digital sparked excitement at NAB 2012 with the unveiling of its next generation social TV solution, the KIT Social Program Guide (KIT SPG). The KIT SPG integrates users’ social networks with their service provider’s electronic program guide, allowing viewers to enjoy a full range of social TV functions, as well as change the channel, through a single intuitive interface. The solution also boasts support for cloud-based DVR functionality, seamless VOD store integration, and multiple e-commerce models and ad serving for advanced content monetization.

The KIT SPG is designed to ultimately replace the traditional on-screen electronic program guide plus TV remote control experience, while also integrating the social and second screen functionality today’s TV viewers demand. A fully functioning prototype of the KIT SPG will be unveiled at NAB 2012 and shown via an iPad application and Smart TV. Served through the KIT Video Platform backend, this white-label application can be easily customized to clients’ design and programming needs and quickly rolled out to a range of additional first and second screen devices.

“The convergence of social media with non-linear, multiscreen viewing habits is driving the future of social TV, and of television viewing more broadly. Viewers want to find, watch and share their favorite shows without having to resort to a hodgepodge of disjointed apps and devices,” said Alex Blum, Chief Operating Officer, KIT digital. “The KIT Social Program Guide will offer network operators and broadcasters the first complete, provider-based social TV solution.”

The KIT SPG enables a variety of popular user behaviors including choosing shows based on social network recommendations, interacting with friends via Twitter, Facebook or other social networks, and viewing additional information about content from sources like IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and Wikipedia.

“The demand for a solution like the KIT SPG is here now, and the competitive advantage gained by the service provider that introduces it first will be tremendous,” Blum continued. “All signs point to unified, provider-controlled platforms that will roll up social TV functionality and overcome the biggest failures plaguing existing solutions. Apps on the market today each offer their own distinct, limited features, but none are robust or well-integrated enough to create this complete social TV experience.”

According to a 2012 Penn Schoen Berland study commissioned by The Hollywood Reporter, 66% of users regularly multitask by surfing on a social network while watching TV, 76% have commented on the show they are watching and 56% say social networks play an “important” role in their entertainment-related decisions. These numbers will only grow as consumers buy more connected devices, projected in a 2011 report by IHS/Screen Digest to reach five per typical US household by 2014.

In addition to the functionality mentioned above, the KIT SPG offers a broad range of feature options, including, but not limited to:

Social-Powered Recommendations: Viewers can use the KIT SPG to see which movies and shows their friends are watching or have recommended. They can also discover content via a unique social recommendation engine that offers up relevant content based on user input and recommendations from their social network, prior viewing habits and professional critics.

Additionally, the KIT SPG can push and pull social commentary from any third party social network, including Facebook, Twitter, and service provider-run networks. Rather than limiting users to one-way broadcasting of posts or comments as existing social TV apps do, the KIT SPG moves information in both directions, offering a much richer social experience.

Asynchronous Social Comment Review: While viewers want to be able to share comments in real-time, different viewing habits mean that friends aren’t always watching content at the same time. The KIT SPG adapts to this behavior by storing comments and posting them as the viewer watches, avoiding “spoilers” and allowing users to enjoy the experience as if they were watching along with their friends.

Multiple ID Support: TV viewing is a communal experience, and TV sets are shared within households and families. Each individual television viewer within a household, however, typically has their own network of friends and colleagues, and need to connect to those different networks easily. The KIT SPG addresses this need by supporting multiple user accounts and simultaneous access by different users, allowing everyone to have a unique and personalized second screen experience while watching the same “first screen” together.

VOD Store Integration: Video on demand integration is a key feature of the KIT SPG, allowing users to share, review, interact, get recommendations and buy content from their provider’s VOD store. Forward-thinking providers can gain an even deeper competitive advantage by integrating popular OTT networks like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon with the KIT SPG.

(MARKETWIRE via COMTEX)

The research conducted by Geek Squad amongst 1,837 respondents, also revealed that women are opting to view video content recommended to them by their friends and family on Facebook (68%) rather than from links in emails or other sites, in a bid to combat viewing SPAM, illegal or even inappropriate content on their smartphone and tablets.

Top Five Content Destinations for Female Viewers

The survey also revealed why Brits are abandoning their addiction to watching programmes on TV in favour of smartphones and tablets. Half of those surveyed are driven away from the TV set because their partners and family don’t want to watch the same programmes as them, while a small number of those surveyed confessed that they are often too embarrassed to watch particular programmes or films in front of others. On the other hand there are a growing number of social media addicts who instantly share their views in real time on certain programmes via Twitter and Facebook on their smartphones and tablets.

In contrast, men are still hogging the remote control as 80% admitted that they like nothing better than kicking back on the sofa and watching their favourite shows. Surprisingly the survey revealed that aside from watching the usual horror films (71%) and comedies (90%), men confessed that they also spend time watching romantic films and programmes (35%) and almost one in five will spend their time watching risqué content!

“It’s never been easier to watch your favourite video content on the latest mobiles and tablets, but there is still a fear amongst the general public that they will download illegal content or a virus on to their mobile. However we can advise you on the different types of security software available that can protect your mobile devices so that you can watch content knowing you are safe from viruses.” - Hollie Brown, Geek Squad Agent.

Agent Hollie Brown commented, “We’re seeing a rise in the number of women wanting to connect all their devices together and be able to watch or listen to content on all of them.  Often women want to download and watch content on the go as well as transfer downloads from their mobiles or tablets so that they can watch them on their TV at home. Our Agents are fully trained to help set up or support their clients to get their technology working just the way they want it, and linking all the different devices that can be in just one household is a common bugbear we can help sort out with minimum fuss. We work across all technology brands and operating systems so there’s pretty much no connectivity issue that we haven’t seen or fixed before. No problem is too big or small and clients know they can call on us 24/7.”

Tanya Richards, technology enthusiast and Geek Squad Client said “I guess I’m what is referred to as tech literate, but only when it comes to the basics. My daughter and I both use our smartphones a lot to keep in touch with each other and with friends on Facebook, however I am really cautious about where we download content from in case it is illegal or inappropriate for her. Agent Hollie Brown at Geek Squad was great and explained the safest way we can watch videos and listen to music on our gadgets. She advised me on the best legal sites to download content from tht were safe and not extortionately priced!”

[source: www.geeksquad.co.uk]

“Vizrt is the world leader in real-time 3D graphics, and never.no is the world leader in social TV solutions. Together we bring to the market an unmatched end-to-end solution to connect the audience directly to the action on TV,” said never.no CEO Lars Lauritzsen. “To date, our two companies have already pioneered many industry firsts (such as the Tour de France companion app). This partnership is a sign of greater things to come, and of each company’s commitment to providing the best solution for social TV.”

The partnership gives never.no access to a growing network of broadcasters that use Vizrt products, while Vizrt gains a way to provide the best social TV solutions to its graphics customers.

“Both companies have a well established international footprint, and by being able to integrate each other’s products, we can offer broadcasters an unprecedented social TV and graphics infrastructure,” said Petter Ole Jakobsen CTO Vizrt. “Television producers using the combined system can reach out to their audience via social media or companion apps triggered by actions originating from within the Vizrt tools. This means complex workflows become streamlined, and fewer operators are required. And simple elements like polls and voting results can now be displayed on live TV in beautiful real-time graphics.”

About never.no
never.no’s award-winning interactive “TV. Mobile. Social. 1Framework.” technology connects fragmented media platforms across broadcast TV systems, mobile, and social media platforms — enabling real-time viewer participation, social TV, and synchronized companion apps. In operation since 1999, never.no has a global customer base including top brands such as BBC, CTVglobeMedia, Danmarks Radio, Etisalat, Music Choice, TV Norge, TV 2 Norge, TV 2 Danmark, and Viasat. More information about never.no products is available at www.never.no.

About Vizrt:
Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools for the broadcast industry – from award-winning animations & maps to online publishing tools. Vizrt’s products are used by the world’s leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, NHK, The Globe and Mail, Times Online, The Telegraph, and Welt Online.  Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions such as the Stock Exchanges in New York and London use Vizrt systems. www.vizrt.com

Research conducted for TeleScope 2012, which looks at the UK’s TV viewing habits, suggests that the trend of commenting via a second screen about a programme, or ‘chatterboxing’, is starting to grip the nation.

“People come to Twitter to connect with what they are most interested in, and that may be a TV show, character, or live event. The public nature of the platform means that people can easily follow and join conversations about what they’re watching in real time, adding to the social experience of television viewing.” -  Rachel Bremer, Twitter UK.

A quarter of all adults (26%), and just under half (44%) of those aged under 35, say they have commented to others, online or via SMS, about a TV programme they have been watching

Chatterboxing is actually reinforcing some people’s desire to watch scheduled TV. An ICM poll suggests that a quarter (24%) of social media savvy adults, aged under 35, watch a programme live, rather than on catch up, because they enjoy being part of the related social media chatter. One in five (19%) are more likely to watch something, as it is being shown on TV, because they are worried ‘social media spoilers’ will ruin the ending.

“Wanting to communicate with others when you experience emotions such as sadness, entertainment, fear or awe is a part of the human condition. As television often prompts these feelings, it is not surprising that more of us are taking advantage of evolving technology to share our thoughts as we watch TV, even if we are home alone” - Corinne Sweet, psychologist.

Online buzz is further changing viewing behaviour by introducing us to new programmes, as one in six (17%) of those aged under 35 who use social media said they can be persuaded to watch a new TV programme if they see online chatter about it.

TeleScope also reveals the average Brit’s weekly TV diet: Consume 28 hours of TV, which includes 2.5 hours of catch-up, on the ‘traditional’ TV set. This is topped up even further because with an estimated three hours per week tuning into the small(er) screen, watching programmes on laptops, smartphones and tablets, according to ICM research commissioned by TV Licensing. In total, this could amount to watching over 31 hours per week, or more than two months per year.
The report highlights broader changes to the nation’s viewing habits, as our love affair with TV evolves in response to recent innovations in technology:

• UK households have a myriad of TV devices: The average household has 2.3 TV sets, 1.51 laptops, 0.77 smartphones and 0.33 tablets on which we watch television.
• Brits love upgrading: 37% of Brits said they would be investing in additional viewing technology in 2012.
• Watching ‘on the go’ is increasing: One in four people (25%) watched TV content on the move in 2011, via mobile viewing technologies. The figure is much higher for under 35s, as 35% watched in this way last year
• UK viewers watch in a variety of ways: For this summer’s Olympics, 88% of us are planning to watch the action on the traditional set. We are supplementing our viewing with mobile devices – 7% will watch some of the sporting events on a PC or laptop, and 1% will tune in on a smartphone and 1% on a tablet.
• Catch-up viewing is rising: While live TV is still hugely dominant, more people are creating their own TV schedules, as time-shifted viewing accounted for 9.2% of UK consumption in 2011, up from 7.1% in 2010.
• TV socialites: TV programmes bring people together physically, as well as virtually. A third of adults, aged under 35, have been to a TV-themed party in the last five years. X-Factor, World Cup 2010, Royal Wedding and Eurovision parties have proved to be among the most popular themes.

Pipa Doubtfire, Head of Revenue Management, BBC TV Licensing, said ”This year’s TeleScope report points to the fact that people are taking advantage of new technologies to ensure they can enjoy TV in more ways than ever before, whether watching on bigger sets at home, via mobile technologies on the go, or on catch-up. And, of course, the chatterboxing phenomenon is bringing a new dimension to TV as a collective, social experience.”

 “When my grandfather introduced the world’s first practical television system in 1926, few imagined that TV would become the powerful omnipresent medium it is today. Television continues to hold our attention for two reasons. Firstly because of the quality and choice of content. Secondly because a huge range of interfaces have evolved to suit every taste and lifestyle. We can easily control how and when we watch TV by creating our own TV schedules from the abundance of content available, or tuning in on-the-go via a mobile device. We have more choice than ever before, and each person, family or household has the opportunity to mould their television experience according to their personal preference.” Iain Logie Baird, grandson of the inventor of the first television set, John Logie Baird, and curator at the National Media Museum in Bradford.

 The full report can be viewed by clicking here and covers:

Kit – what viewing technology are we using?
Control – how are we choosing to watch?
Content - what are we choosing to watch?
Company – how is TV going more social?

TV Licensing have also created a stunning infographic:

UK TV viewing habits

It follows from the introduction of the first Digital Video Recorder (DVR) in 1999 through to the arrival of online video and from where consumers are now obtaining their digital video content.

Social media has redefine how we communicate. Now it is transforming the television viewing experience with the rise of Social TV and platforms to support it such as Zeebox.

To prepare for this study, Forrester conducted phone interviews with executives at 12 leading digital agencies. The interviews covered each company’s use of rich digital media, the challenges and benefits companies were experiencing from using it to address client needs, and what the executives thought the future of the rich digital media landscape looked like.

Key Findings

Forrester’s study yielded the following key findings with respect to the use of rich digital media:

• Advertisers are turning to more engaging forms of rich digital media to deliver against consumer expectations.
• Rich digital media drives engagement with nonlinear interactive storytelling and custom experiences.
• Agencies with in-house digital media capabilities and expertise have competitive advantages.
• Agencies plan to expand digital media production capabilities to prepare for future growth.

For Advertisers, Engaging  Consumers Online is Harder Than Ever

Consumers today are comparing content on the Web with the latest Hollywood blockbuster, console game, or television show. As a culture, we want to be entertained and expect the content we consume on the Web to be something of value, such as a custom digital experience or an offer tailored to a specific interest. It takes much more to garner the attention of a potential or existing customer, and that creates a challenge for advertisers. A vice president at one of the participating agencies described it this way: “Advertisers are operating in a highly competitive marketplace, where consumers are reading less [and] comparing more, and the typical web article or content is not being read. Being able to communicate product benefits in a succinct and engaging way is crucial.” The bar has been raised for engaging consumers online because:

• The Web is cluttered with content. Consumers face a tidal wave of content that is competing for their valuable attention online. Within the next five years, US advertisers will spend $77 billion annually on email, display, mobile, search, and social to try to engage these consumers online, so clearly advertisers are facing an increasingly cluttered online advertising landscape (see Figure 1).1 Websites are filled with advertising, videos, text, and social media messages. To beat the clutter and engage with increasingly overwhelmed audiences, advertisers are turning to rich digital media.
• Consumers are accessing content across multiple devices. More than half of the 177 million US adults who are online have two or more different types of devices connected to the Internet, and one-third have at least four.2 There is a wealth of opportunity for advertisers to engage consumers across multiple devices. However, it requires brands to be present across multiple touchpoints. One agency is focusing its connected device strategy on delivering “all the content you need to make an intelligent decision on the screen at one time.”
• TV and film keep raising the bar for consumer expectations of digital media. All of the agencies interviewed for this study attribute the growing demand for rich digital media to feature films, gaming, and television. “Clients point to examples in movies and television and ask us to create a similar experience for their brands,” said one agency. In addition, movies like Avatar and Toy Story deliver engaging viewing experiences that heighten consumers’ overall expectations of digital media. Creative and engineering talents — in-house and consultative — with motion-picture and television experience are highly sought after for projects by agencies.

Interactive Marketing Spend Will Net Near $77 Billion By 2016

Advertisers Are Embracing Rich Digital Media

Rich digital media helps advertisers to break through the clutter of the Web. As one executive creative director at a leading agency declared: “Being able to show different ways for consumers to engage with products, [and] letting them understand what differentiates [their products] from the rest of the market, is crucial. And just calling that out via text boxes really doesn’t work. Consumers are so much more aware now; they can get as much text as they want from blogs and reviews.”
Every agency interviewed for this study confirms that rich digital media creates more engaging experiences online, compared with other media. “balancing art with science and function with entertainment.” This type of media empowers advertisers to tell richer brand stories, drive deeper engagement, and ignite conversations on social channels like YouTube and Facebook. It enables more online exploration that leads to enhanced experiences that consumers can customize and personalize. These experiences increase fundamental engagement metrics like time on site and lower metrics like bounce rates.

How Advertisers Are Using Rich Digital Media Today to Drive Engagement

Rich digital media has a wide variety of applications. Our study found that agencies use it in the following ways:

• Virtual photography. Advancements in technology allow agencies to use digital models and computer- generated images (CGI) to replace the expensive process of photographing real objects or environments. One agency explained, “I can save time and a tremendous amount of money by using CGI and digital models.” CGI also provides the benefit of being more flexible and adaptable to cross-platform applications.
• Animation and motion graphics. By animating elements, advertisers can bring stories to life. For example, “Sometimes you want someone to jump or make a car spin,” explains one interviewee. “So we will take a static model and apply all the kinetics, animations, and physics on top to make it look real.”
• Interactive display. Interactive touchscreen displays are appearing more frequently in retail outlets and public places like bus shelters in San Francisco and subways in South Korea. It allows advertisers to engage audiences at point of sale and out of home. While this exemplifies a growing global trend, there are many other use cases for interactive display online such as rich media banner ads on a website.
• Product demos. Agencies use rich digital media to create immersive product demonstrations for manufacturers and retailers. These demos tell a much richer story about the product and illustrate key differentiations from competing products in the market. For example, one agency used 3D technology to showcase the uniqueness and design of an athletic shoe by allowing consumers to interactively spin it and see it from all angles.
• Game-like experiences. More than 340 million people play social games monthly, and gamification — the application of game mechanics to nongame play — is being leveraged by advertisers to drive deeper engagement on web and mobile properties.3 Agencies can use rich digital media to enhance the game-like online behavior.
• Social media drivers. With rich digital media, consumers can customize and personalize content, share their experience online, and spark conversations on social channels like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. “If you create something of value for the consumer, the consumer will share it,” affirmed an interviewee for the study.
• Online and mobile advertising. Rich digital media is rapidly pervading online advertising on the Web, as more advertisers want to stand out in a crowded web environment. Video advertising is the fastest- growing segment within online advertising, and publishers are opening up new online ad formats enabling much richer experiences and page takeovers. With the ubiquity of mobile and the soaring growth of tablet devices, online and mobile advertising has advanced to a newer, more exciting level — one that leverages inherent features on the device such as flicking, sharing, or swiping that yield high engagement.
•  Video production. Rich digital media allows advertisers to deliver very high-quality content across a variety of platforms. Video is no longer a “lean back” passive experience but can be incorporated into the core of interactive experiences to engage audiences, aided by the rapid growth of online video advertising.

Forrester asked each agency interviewed for this study to describe how rich digital media creates more immersive and engaging experiences online. “Rich digital media is the way we tell stories,” one agency stated. “And that’s how we are able to capture consumers’ imaginations.” In summary of the qualitative data for this study, rich digital media drives more online engagement with:

• Nonlinear interactive storytelling. Rich digital media enables advertisers to tell better brand stories and give consumers more control over their experience. Consumers can interact with content, choose their own path, and create their own adventure.
• Personal and customized experiences. Consumer engagement can be driven by empowering the user to personalize and customize their experience. “Leading global brands request it,” one agency shared. “They want the user to control and own the experience.”
• Expressive and creative visual elements. Rich digital media allows artists, advertisers, and designers to be more creative and expressive, which creates a more entertaining experience for consumers. Leveraging gestural user interfaces like flicks and swipes, which are now commonly used on mobile and touchscreen devices, also helps to drive engagement.

In-House Capabilities Produce Lucrative Business Benefits for Agencies

Every agency interviewed for this study has rich digital media production capabilities in-house to a certain capacity, and all of them attribute having these capabilities to giving them an advantage in a competitive marketplace. Moreover, all of them plan on increasing their capabilities in the future to meet increasing demand. It is advantageous for agencies to invest in in-house resources because:

• It reduces cost. All of the agencies interviewed for this study reported lower costs of production due to in- house resources including talent. Agencies don’t have to outsource to specialty agencies that charge a premium.
• It produces better content, more quickly. When asked if keeping the technology in-house helped produce content better and more quickly, one creative director responded, “Absolutely, by the fact that creative and production are highly interacting with each other and closing any communication gaps.” Production teams are also able to ideate and iterate much faster — increasing the team’s overall flexibility and agility.
• Creative and technology are more integrated and more powerful. “You can’t get the right level of collaboration and iteration you need when you outsource projects in this field,” asserts an agency. In- house capabilities enable creative teams with a clear sense of the storyline to work next to production specialists with a deep knowledge of the technology and marry their two skill sets to tell a more powerful brand story.
• It’s profitable. Digital services are a fast-growing profit center. The agencies all stated that these capabilities give them a competitive advantage, which helps them attract and grow new and existing business. And digital advertising is showing particularly strong growth for agencies, increasing 16.3% in 2010, compared with 7.7% growth for the advertising industry overall.4

Agencies Predict More Demand In The Future, Investing Accordingly

“I can tell you that the more work we do [in rich digital media], the more calls we get from clients and prospects wanting to produce these types of experiences for their audiences.” The agencies interviewed for this study are increasing their offerings in rich digital media because they all anticipate the landscape to continue to grow. Demand for rich digital media will continue to grow due to the following factors:

• Continued consumer demand. “At the root, consumers and users want to be entertained or have something that’s useful. If you do either of those two, you have their eyes and ears. Consumers compare an experience online to a game they just played on PlayStation 3, and everyone holds web experiences to the highest standard because they compare the Web with TV, film, and games,” summarizes a Europe-based agency. Consumers’ high standards and future innovations in motion pictures and television will continue to increase consumer expectations of content on the Web and create increasing demand.
• Opportunities for deeper engagement. Research for this study undoubtedly concludes that rich digital media drives higher engagement online, and agencies are embracing the technology as a direct result. Nonlinear storytelling, game-like mechanics, personalization, and shareability across a consumer’s social graph help advertisers break through the clutter and drive powerful experiences online.
• More in-market competition. The majority of rich digital media was once exclusively produced by specialty agencies. Today, more in-market competition is increasing, as more agencies invest in their own capabilities to meet demand from consumers, gain a competitive advantage, and obtain inherent business benefits.
• More talent. More design schools are providing access to new technologies and are teaching more courses in rich digital media. While agencies continue to invest in training their existing teams, young talent is entering the market with more advanced skill sets to hit the ground running and make more immediate contributions.
• Proliferation of devices that creates additional opportunities. Smartphone and tablet adoption creates new opportunities for advertisers to reach consumers with rich digital media. With technology iterating and innovating so rapidly, processing power will increase and allow advertisers to continue to push the envelope as broadband becomes ubiquitous.

For the full key recommendations see the complete report by Forrester Research.

1 By 2016, US advertisers will spend $77 billion on email, display, mobile, search, and social to try to engage consumers online. Source: “US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2011 To 2016,” Forrester Research, Inc., August 24, 2011.
2 More than half of the 177 million US adults who are online have two or more different types of devices connected to the Internet, and one-third have at least four. Source: “Welcome To The Multidevice, Multiconnection World,” Forrester Research, Inc., January 25, 2011.
3 More than 340 million people play social games monthly. Source: Appdata (http://www.appdata.com/).
4 Source: Bradley Johnson, “Agency Report: US Agency Revenue Jumped 7.7% in 2010,” Advertising Age, April 25, 2011.
To prepare for this study, Forrester conducted phone interviews with executives at 12 leading digital agencies. The interviews covered each company’s use of rich digital media, the challenges and benefits companies were experiencing from using it to address client needs, and what the executives thought the future of the rich digital media landscape looked like. Respondents were from the US, UK and Sweden. The study began in July 2011 and completed in October, 2011.

© 2011, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com.

Mark Burnett, a successful global producer and the acknowledged pioneer of reality programming in the US — is set once again to make a major leap forward that is sure to reinvent the broadcast and cable worlds.  Mark Burnett has teamed up with technology company ACTV8, to usher in a whole new world of audience participation and integration with television. Now, anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or Android device will be able to interact, socialize, consume, share and participate in real time, all while watching his or her favorite TV shows.

Mark Burnett’s successes include the long-running Survivor (currently in its 23rd season) airing on CBS; The Voice, which starts its second season in February 2012 on NBC; The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, Shark Tank on ABC; and a host of other very successful franchises. Burnett also produced the 2011 Emmy Awards; the 2010 and 2011 People’s Choice Awards; and the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, which aired this past weekend. Since 2007, Burnett has also served as the executive producer for the MTV Movie Awards.

In making the deal with ACTV8, Burnett explains, “It has always been my dream to create a deeper and more engaging relationship with the audiences of our shows. ACTV8 enables us to give the audience exactly what they want: interactivity, metadata, behind the scenes views, scoops and insights, social relevance and connectivity. Today’s audience brings a whole new set of expectations from the shows they connect to and embrace. ACTV8 allows our content to take a much more important and relevant position for consumption within the changing lifestyles of our viewers. This breakthrough technology serves to foster a world of “New Era TV Networks.’”

ACTV8 delivers what it calls a “complete global media integration platform.”  The platform synchronizes a user’s mobile device or tablet to any live or recorded video broadcast and not only provides rich interactive content to the user’s device related to the programming, but also feeds viral hooks into Facebook and Twitter. With its proprietary technology, ACTV8 has married broadcast and cable television to the two largest social media platforms on the planet, and then made this all interactive, thus creating the ultimate uber-platform. The technology enables ACTV8 to deliver a host of program enhancements, line extensions, quizzes, trivia, gaming and sales experiences in conjunction with any TV programming.

Founder and CEO Brian Shuster explains, “ACTV8 represents an altogether new model for digital media creation, interaction and distribution. ACTV8 creates a world where viewers won’t skip branded messages and integration, because ACTV8 unlocks their value for consumers.  We are working with the largest brands in the world to enrich their connection to the consumer and establish new relationships between their brands and their audiences”. Most of these brands and most TV industry executives acknowledge a major problem facing the medium today: the DVR. And as consumer adoption of the DVR grows, TV ad spot values decline. How can we keep the viewer watching? Like other players in the growing Social TV market, ACTV8 and its partners are set to reinvent the value proposition for the TV networks, the advertisers and most importantly…the consumer. Consumers are rewarded for their participation with content, including special offers and coupons from many of the leading TV advertisers in the US.

SOURCE ACTV8 /PRNewswire/

Leaders of the advertising, media and entertainment sector have converged in New York, London and Melbourne for the inauguration of the CTVMA, the global industry trade body of the advertising, media and entertainment sector.

In 2012, television advertising will join the 21st century, with Internet connected televisions, from brands such as Samsung, Sony and LG predicted to make up to 90% of the global TV market in the next three year. 41% or televisions are forecast to have internet connection in 2013. By 2015 there will be 138 million connected TVs rising to 550 million a year later according to Digital TV Research.

Connected TVs offer brands the chance to connect their offline spend with the rapidly growing online content market, with TV applications or targeted ad campaigns served by ad networks across electronic program guides.

Announcing the launch from Melbourne, Founder and President Asia-Pacific of the Connected TV Marketing Association James Grant Hay said, “The CTVMA is being launched today to address these issues currently being faced, by not only advertisers, broadcasters and rights holders alike but, by the TV set makers themselves. As TV platforms are likely to compete with broadcasters to buy programme content from rights holders and serve advertising against it,” he said.

With 85% of marketers already interested in advertising on internet-connected TVs, the CTVMA had been set up to inform and educate the advertising, media and entertainment sector on the commercial opportunities of Connected TV platforms.

Co-Founder and President North America of the Connected TV Marketing Association Zachary Weiner said, “Connected TV platforms supersede broadcasters in owning programme content and selling advertising against it. Marketers are also frustrated by the lack of audience information on who they are targeting and ad networks face issues of interoperability, scale and standards across platforms”.

Mr Grant Hay added, “it is therefore essential that all sides of industry now come to together in an open industry forum of consultation with CEMs to discuss the future success of our industry as a whole,” he said.

As part of its future plans, the CTVMA has immediately embarked on an open industry consultation process, inviting leaders from the advertising, media and entertainment sector to participate in formulating an industry terms of reference.

The launch in Melbourne included a Smart TV presentation from Sony Australia, attended by representatives from local companies as diverse as NBN Co. Limited, Adconion Media Group, Foxtel, News Digital and Accedo Broadband.

The association currently comprises of 47 Country, Regional and Chapter appointed Presidents, Vice-Presidents with representatives around the world.

The CTVMA’s first industry event in Sydney on March 7, 2012.

‘Living with Digital’, which was carried out in the USA, UK, France and Germany with more than 2,600 respondents ranging from 12 to 65+ years of age, explores the ways in which consumers interact with and consume digital entertainment and compares behaviours with those of six months ago.

The study also shows that 57% of people are watching online video content, with nearly one in four using their smartphones, at least occasionally. Watching online video on a desktop PC is still the most common method, very closely followed by laptop.

In all four countries surveyed, there has been a net increase in online video viewing over the last six months, with wider choice, more appealing content and being able to watch content at any time the key factors behind the shift. However, more than 80% of respondents still do not pay for online video content; although nearly 40% of these said they could be persuaded in the future. Among respondents that have paid for online content already, more than two in every three have paid for movies.

When asked about their buying behaviours for physical media, 60% of respondents are still buying DVDs and 19% are buying Blu-ray Discs. Of the countries surveyed, people living in the UK buy the most DVDs, an average of nearly 6.5 during the last six months. For Blu-ray, the USA leads the way, with US purchasers of Blu-ray Discs buying an average of 5.75 in the last six months.

In Germany and France there is a net increase in the number of people buying more Blu-ray Discs than six months ago, with 41% of people in Germany buying more titles than they did six months ago.

‘Living with Digital’ is an ongoing programme of independent research from Futuresource Consulting, exploring the ways in which consumers interact with and consume digital entertainment, whether via the TV, online or on a mobile device. The study is based on regular consumer surveys carried out in the USA, UK, France and Germany, with more than 2,500 respondents surveyed in each round.

Click this link to view Chloe Sladden’s presentation on Social TV at the Social TV Summit in NY.

Below is the promotional video shown by Chloe during the presentation.

The motivation

Do TV viewers want a synchronous interactive experience? After decades of debate, we can finally answer this question: Yes, they do—and they are creating it for themselves, on Twitter.

The graph below shows Tweets about the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars. The sharp spikes correspond exactly to the East Coast airings of new episodes. On-demand and online viewing are important options, but the vast majority of the conversation around the show happens during that initial airing, in real-time:

Let’s zoom in on one airing. Tweeting around TV follows a fairly predictable pattern: first, anticipatory Tweets appear 15-30 minutes before the show airs on the East Coast; then, the Tweets surge during the episode (with sharp spikes in response to surprises and reveals); finally, there’s another 15-30 minutes of post-show buzz and reaction.

All together, it acts as a kind of creative EKG. Look at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, and see how the sharp spikes correspond directly to major moments in the show:

Here’s what you’re seeing above:

A MTV host Jim Cantiello announces the #WhatWillGagaWear hashtag on-air
B The VMA main show begins with a gender-bending performance from @ladygaga
C Jay-Z and Kanye West take the stage
D Adele performs
E Beyonce’s performance begins…
F …and ends with the big reveal of her “baby bump”

Many TV producers watch this EKG as their show airs to get real-time qualitative feedback on what is and isn’t resonating with their audience. To be clear: the vast majority of the total conversation around a show happens live during its initial airing. You should focus your planning and investment on that airing and then watch the reaction on Twitter closely.

And here’s the most important thing to know: Across networks and genres, when TV shows bring hashtags, accounts, or other Twitter elements into the broadcast itself, we see a direct and immediate increase in engagement on Twitter—anywhere from two to ten times more Tweets created while the shows air.

#Hashtags

Choose and promote a single official hashtag. On Twitter, hashtags become links; therefore, Tweets containing your show’s hashtag are powerful promotional messages that gather Twitter users around a central conversation. Your official hashtag should be clear but concise: Glee is #glee, True Blood is #trueblood, How I Met Your Mother is #HIMYM.

You should show this hashtag on air at least once between every pair of commercial breaks. Even better, synchronize it to dramatic moments in the show, as NBC did with The Voice:

Image courtesy NBC.

You can also use “madlib” hashtags: clever sentence-starters like MTV’s #WhatWillGagaWear. The upside is that more viewers respond to these hashtags, so you’ll maximize engagement. The trade-off is that they’re a less effective marketing mechanism, because it takes an additional click for users to connect them to your show. (“Oh, I get it… this hashtag is part of the Video Music Awards. Oh, right—the VMAs are starting soon!”)

You should pair hashtags with creative calls to action. CNN did this during its coverage of 2011′s Royal Wedding:

Image courtesy CNN.

On BET, the hosts of 106 and Park do it every day, explaining a daily madlib hashtag as they show it on screen…

Image courtesy BET.

…and these short, simple segments directly and immediately generate tens of thousands of Tweets about the show—every day.

In the 2010 VMAs, MTV used the madlib hashtag #IfBieberMetGaga. Gabi Gregg presented a call to action from the red carpet and paid it off by showing the best response on air.

In the clip below, we’ve overlaid a counter of total #IfBieberMetGaga Tweets and graphics showing the Tweets as they’re created. It gives you a visceral sense of the engagement that follows directly and immediately from an on-air hashtag and call to action:

Accounts

Show your Twitter account name on air. Your viewers don’t automatically know you’re on Twitter; showing them your account converts fans into followers. CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight showed @piersmorgan twice during the show in a large lower-third graphic…

Image courtesy CNN.

…and earned 4,500 new followers as a direct and immediate result. The sharp spikes in this graph of new followers per minute correspond exactly to those lower-third graphics:

Live-tweet during the show. This allows you to shape and drive the Twitter conversation and gives your fans a reason to follow you. You should tweet live during East Coast airings—that’s when most Twitter activity takes place—and focus on commentary or content that’s synced to the show.

Jeff Probst, the host of “Survivor,” is also a committed live-tweeter, and CBS promotes him like this:

Image courtesy CBS.

Survivor provides a useful test case for live-tweeting. Probst didn’t live-tweet at all during Survivor: Nicaragua in fall 2010. Then, in spring 2011, he live-tweeted during airings of Survivor: Redemption Island, with on-air promotion (as shown above). The difference in the scale of the Twitter conversation is dramatic and plain to see:

Travel Channel’s Anthony Bourdain tweets live during new episodes of No Reservations, and the network rotates his account @noreservations with the network bug throughout the show:

Image courtesy Travel Channel.

This placement earns them 3,000 new followers during each airing.

Tweet

When you show individual Tweets on TV, you should generally favor:

Tweets from on-air talent granting special behind-the-scenes access to followers.
Tweets with great images (but note that you are responsible for clearing them).
In terms of implementation, we recommend that you:

Show Tweets on a physical in-set display, rather than with a graphics overlay. That way, there’s no legacy technology involved and on-air talent can interact with the Tweets more naturally.

Ideally, use Mass Relevance’s TweetRiver (or develop your own alternative) to curate the very best Tweets and show them in a way that’s optimized for broadcast.

Finally: use the Twitter.com Tweet permalink page in a pinch!

Guidelines

Here are the guidelines you’ll need to follow regarding the user of Twitter’s marks and content on air:

• General guidelines
• Broadcast display guidelines

Social TV Ratings

How do you measure your impact? Here are some public sites that show Twitter engagement levels for broadcast and cable TV shows:

• Trendrr TV
• SocialGuide

This article was originally published by Twitter where the latest version may be viewed.