 In this recorded episode of [itvt]'s talk radio show, "The TV of Tomorrow Show with Tracy Swedlow," Maha Ibrahim, general partner  at venture capital firm, Canaan Partners, discusses her company's investment strategy. Among other things, she explains why Canaan is interested in early-stage HD broadband video providers; outlines the criteria that guide the company's investment decisions; and talks about some of the companies in Canaan's portfolio, including Tremor Media and Watercooler.
--Show Will Allow Viewers to Determine Brown's Everyday Decisions for a Year
Interactive production company, Tool of North America (note: for more on Tool, see the interview with its digital executive producer, Dustin Callif, that was published on itvt.com, June 9th, 2009), has teamed with "technology-infused" creative agency, Domani Studios, to develop an application, dubbed "Touching Stories," that contains four interactive live-action short films shot by five Tool of North America directors and designed specifically for the Apple iPad. According to the companies, the app allows viewers to "navigate, unlock and reveal unexpected variations" in each of the films by "touching, shaking and turning" their iPad. The app is available in the App Store, free of charge.
--IP Vision in Interactive TV Betting Deal with Betfair
--ITV Live Attracts 1 Million+ Users in First Week
--AR Specialist, Layar, Announces Expanded Smartphone Distribution, Kooaba Partnership and More
--Libox Beta-Launches Platform for Personal Media Portability
--Magyar Telekom Delivers Mediaroom-Powered IPTV Service over Cisco EuroDOCSIS 3.0 Infrastructure
Because the [itvt] editorial team has been on the road the past few weeks, we are covering recent news stories in summary/round-up form. We anticipate that it will take a couple of days for us to catch up with all the recent news: so if your company has sent us a press release or briefed us on an announcement, and you don't yet see your news covered in this issue, please bear with us. We apologize for any inconvenience to our readers.
--ADB Supplying Interactive TV-Enabled HD Set-Top Boxes to Poland's INEA
--AFDESI Announces New Board
--Amino Reports "Record" H1 Revenues, Secures IP Set-Top Deal with Romtelecom
--BBC to Offer Extensive Red-Button Coverage of Glastonbury Festival
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.
--App's Social TV Elements Will Also Be Available through the Red Button
--Karaoke Channel Launches on Virgin Media's VOD Platform
UK commercial terrestrial broadcaster, ITV, last week launched a two-screen interactive TV service, called "ITV Live," that will reside on its ITV.com Web site.
--Service Will Provide Links to Broadband Video Services from ITV, Channel 4, S4C, Five, Arqiva
 The BBC on Wednesday unveiled a new beta version of its broadband VOD/OTT service, the BBC iPlayer, that features 1) what the corporation calls a "simplified and intuitive" user experience that is intended to make it easier to find content on the service; 2) personalization options that the corporation says will allow users to "create their own iPlayer experience"; and 3) social media integration. A new mobile version of the iPlayer is expected to launch in a couple of weeks.
 [itvt] has just published a video interview in which Bob Perry, SVP of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, provides an overview of Panasonic's connected TV and 3D TV product strategy.
--Claims iTV Kaleidoscope Allows Even Novices to Build Complex Applications
sofatronic, a Hamburg, Germany-based company that specializes in Java-based interactive video technologies (Blu-ray Disc, tru2way, MHP), contacted [itvt] Wednesday to let us know about its plans for next month's NCTA Cable Show in Los Angeles (May 11th-13th).
 Last month, [itvt] published an interview with Chad, Matt & Rob--Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Rob Polonsky--a trio of 20-something Los Angeles-based filmmakers who have risen to prominence as a result of a series of interactive comedic shorts they have created, using YouTube's Annotations feature (note: their videos--which are influenced by Bantam Books' classic series of "Choose Your Own Adventure" children's gamebooks--includ
--Verizon Launches FiOS Labs Site
--Over 200,000 Users Participate in ITV's Social Coverage of Election Debate
--ITC to Investigate Certain Cablevision STB's
--Microsoft Releases Silverlight 4
--MHL Consortium Aims to Develop New Interface Standard for Connecting Mobiles to HDTV's
--Sony to Integrate PlayTV with Facebook
--TiVo Calls on FCC to Probe Economics of CableCARD
--Widevine Selects Arxan's Application Hardening and Key Protection Solutions
Here is a round-up of some other recent interactive TV-related stories that we didn't have room for in this issue:
--Plus New iTV Doctor Column on ActiveVideo Networks and its Cloud-Based Approach to ITV
 [itvt] has just published a radio interview with David Del Beccaro, founder, president and CEO of multiplatform music programmer, Music Choice.
 Verizon FiOS TV and Interactivation, a New York City-based company that was formed in 2008 when Rainbow Media Holdings sold its Mag Rack properties to media and technology entrepreneurs, Joe Covey and Matthew Davidge, said Wednesday that FiOS TV customers will be the first to access a new "interactive on-demand television experience" called "Spin The Bottle" that will be presented by Interactivation's Concert TV arm and will be available through May 10th on FiOS TV's VOD platform. It will also be available to FiOS TV subscribers through Interactivation's Concert TV Web site, the companies said.
--ITV Exec Says Broadcaster Close to Deal with Hulu to Offer Programming to US Viewers
UK commercial broadcaster, ITV, yesterday unveiled its plans for social TV-enabled broadband video coverage of the first general election debate between Labour Party prime minister, Gordon Brown, Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, and Liberal Democrat Party leader, Nick Clegg, which takes place tonight (Thursday, April 15th). The debate will also be carried live on ITV's terrestrial channel, ITV1.
International interactive TV industry body, AFDESI (the Association for the Development of Enhanced TV Services and Interactivity), recently contacted [itvt] to let us know that it has issued a call for entries for its eighth annual International ITV Awards.
The awards, which will be presented at the European ITV Perspectives Conference in Paris on June 21st, will recognize achievement in nine categories:
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 Our [itvt] free industry database called The [i]Database contains many listings of operators, broadcasters, software developers, design firms, manufacturers, Web sites, consultancies and many more organizations and people working in the interactive multiplatform TV industry. Upload your company or yourself!
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