Racing

The [itvt] editorial team is currently on the road, so we are covering today's stories in round-up/summary form. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience to our readers.

Norwegian interactive TV company, never.no, announced Tuesday that it is powering interactive TV coverage of the upcoming Tour de France bicycle race (July 4th-26th) for Norway's largest commercial broadcaster, TV 2. According to the company, viewers will be able to use Twitter, other Web interfaces, and SMS and MMS messages from their mobiles to comment on the action, send in photos, and respond to polls and questions posed both by TV 2 and other viewers, with their submissions appearing on TV 2's broadcast and Web coverage in "almost" real time.

Australian interactive TV applications provider, Two Way Limited, contacted [itvt] earlier this week to let us know that Sky Racing Active, an interactive TV wagering service that it has created for betting company, Tabcorp, and the Foxtel pay-TV platform, has won an ASTRA Award for "Most Outstanding Use of Interactive Television." ASTRA (note: the name is an acronym for the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association) is the industry organization for Australia's pay-TV industry.