--AirTies, Anevia in OTT Partnership --Celeno Unveils Solution to Converge Paid and OTT Video Services over Home WiFi Network --Civolution, ATEME Team to Enable Early Release Window for VOD --Comcast Rolls Out New i-Guide EPG and Comcast Mobile 2.0 in Indiana --Google TV to Launch Internationally Next Year --South Korean Government to Help Drive Commercialization of Connected-TV Technology --NDS Powers Hybrid TV Service for Vodafone in Germany --Ooyala Powering Online Video for DECA
Here is a round-up of some other recent interactive TV-related stories that we didn't have room for in this issue:
In a posting on its corporate blog, Monday, online video content discovery specialist, Clicker Media, a company often associated with the emerging Internet TV/cord-cutting phenomenon (note: the company recently also launched a social TV service, called Clicker Social, which it bills as "allow[ing] people to discover, share, rate, discuss, and check-in to shows on Clicker and third-party partner sites"), announced a collaboration with Comcast that sees the cable MSO making listings for its Xfinity online TV episode and movie offerings available on Clicker's content discovery service.
Rovi (formerly Macrovision) said Wednesday that UK satellite-TV provider, BSkyB (Sky), has extended the term of its existing licensing deal for Rovi's EPG patents. According to the company, the new multi-year agreement provides Sky with a license to the Rovi EPG patent portfolio for Sky's pay-TV platforms. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. "We are pleased that Sky, the leading pay-television service in the United Kingdom, sees the continued value of our IP portfolio and chose to extend the term of their license," Tom Carson, Rovi's EVP of sales and services, said in a prepared statement.
Comcast said Tuesday that it has launched its multiroom DVR service, Anyroom DVR, in most of Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. It also said that it has launched its A28 i-Guide--an EPG that was developed by GuideWorks, which was originally a joint venture with Rovi (formerly Macrovision)--in those regions (note: the guide is designed for Motorola systems; earlier this year, Comcast announced plans to roll out the Cisco/Scientific-Atlanta version of the i-Guide, designated as "S25"--see the article published on itvt.com, May 19th).
Clicker for iPhone: Available Now from Clicker on Vimeo.
Online video content discovery specialist, Clicker Media (note: the company recently also launched a social TV service, called Clicker Social, which it bills as "allow[ing] people to discover, share, rate, discuss, and check-in to shows on Clicker and third-party partner sites"), said Tuesday that an iPhone app for its service is now available in the Apple App Store.
According to the company, the new app (a demo video of which is embedded above), allows users to:
Rovi (formerly Macrovision) and German cable operator, Unitymedia, said Tuesday that they have signed a multi-year license agreement for EPG patents owned by Rovi. According to the companies, the agreement provides Unitymedia with a license to Rovi's EPG patents for the operator's pay-TV services in Germany.
Rovi (formerly Macrovision) has announced that Tokyo-based electronics manufacturer, Maspro Denkoh, has signed a license agreement for its EPG technology portfolio, including regulations on use of the Rovi G-Guide. The license agreement also provides Maspro Denko with a license for its products under Rovi's EPG patent portfolio, Rovi says.
Comcast announced last week that it has launched a multiroom DVR service--branded as AnyRoom DVR--in Oregon and southwest Washington. It subsequently came to light that the MSO has also launched the service, which is powered by technologies from Entropic and Broadcom, in around 20 or so of its other Motorola markets, including Chattanooga and Knoxville, TN; Augusta, GA; Little Rock, AR; Mobile, AL; western Massachusetts; southern Florida; and the San Francisco Bay Area.
--Guide, Based on Tech from S&T, Billed as Preparing Way for New VOD and Interactive TV Services
Strategy & Technology--a UK-based provider of interactive TV playout systems and middleware, which recently received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of the significant growth in international sales of its products that it has achieved over the past four years (see the article published on itvt.com, April 21st)--contacted [itvt] last week to let us know that Freeview Australia's EPG platform has launched nationally (note: Freeview Australia, which is a non-profit joint venture between broadcasters ABC, SBS, Network Seven, Nine Network, Network Ten, Prime Southern Cross and WIN, is designed to bring free-to-air digital terrestrial TV to Australian viewers).
--Delivery Agent Appoints New CFO --Digital TV Labs Approved as First Test Facility for Freeview Australia EPG --DirecTV Launches Whole-Home DVR Service --Invidi Awarded US Patents for its Addressable Advertising Technology
The [itvt] editorial team will be on the road this week and next, so we will be covering most stories in round-up/summary form, and we anticipate that there will be some additional interruptions of our regular news publishing schedule beyond that. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience to our readers.
--Users of the Free App Will Also Gain Access to bee.tv's Private Beta of its New Online Service
bee.tv, a Milan-based provider of programming recommendations technology for TV, Web and mobile, has announced the availability of a free iPhone app in the Apple iTunes App Store. According to the company, the new app enables users to receive personalized recommendations for content ranging from real-time broadcast programming to online and mobile TV shows and movies. It generates content recommendations using a proprietary technology that bee.tv says analyzes and matches individual tastes and preferences.
--Partners Include Sony, Logitech, DISH, Intel, Adobe, Best Buy, Jinni, Rovi
As expected (see the article published on itvt.com, May 5th), Google unveiled a connected TV platform at its I/O developer conference in San Francisco last week.
--HTML5-Based Interface Works Entirely in the Browser
Clicker Media--the company which last fall 1) launched Clicker.com, a service that it bills as "the first complete programming guide to Internet television" and as "the first truly comprehensive, structured and unbiased resource for navigating all broadcast- and broadcast-quality programming online" (see the article published on itvt.com, November 16th), and 2) revealed that Sling Media co-founder, Blake Krikorian, had invested in it and joined its board (see the article published on itvt.com, November 9th); and which earlier this month (see the article published on itvt.com, May 5th) announced the launch of a service called Clicker Live, which it bills as
In a posting on its corporate blog, Monday, by Ted Hodgins, its senior director of video product development/navigation, Comcast revealed that it is set to roll out the i-Guide--the advanced EPG that was developed by GuideWorks, its joint venture with Rovi (note: earlier this year--see the article published on itvt.com, March 19th--Rovi announced that it was exiting the joint venture)--in its Cisco (Scientific-Atlanta) markets, replacing the existing SARA guide.
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