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Interactive TV authoring solutions provider, Ensequence, recently announced a strategic partnership deal with TVWorks, the joint interactive TV venture between Comcast and Cox, under which programming networks, advertisers and cable operators will be able to use Ensequence’s interactive TV authoring software to write applications that run on TVWorks’ ETV platform. [itvt]’s Tracy Swedlow recently spoke to Aslam Khader, Ensequence’s VP of marketing and strategy, about the history behind the partnership, about the significance of the ETV standard in general, about Ensequence’s multiplatform strategy, and more.

[itvt]: Could you tell us a little about the deal that Ensequence announced with TVWorks last month?

Khader: Yes. This is a one-of-a-kind strategic partnership: it’s the first deal of its kind that TVWorks has done. The partnership between us will allow–in essence–applications that are created using our authoring solutions to be deployed across the widest set of set-top boxes in North America. What it means is that we’ll have coverage on two big cable platforms–as well as, of course, coverage on satellite. The partnership is about customers being able to use our solutions to author and deploy applications written to the ETV standard on all the different set-top boxes across the Comcast and Cox footprint.

[itvt]: And the ETV standard is important because…

Khader: It’s important because it will take many, many more years before OCAP is widely deployed. That’s why the ETV standard–which, as you know, is composed of the ETV Binary Interchange Format spec and the messaging spec–is so important. We as a company have thrown our weight behind it in a very big way. CableLabs actually solicited technology input from us on this two years ago, and we gave them a lot of input.

We’ve been working with the ETV standard, because we see it as being in many ways the savior for cable–at least in terms of interactive TV. It will enable cable to really compete with satellite and with upcoming IPTV services from the big telcos, by providing some of the interactive experiences that customers are increasingly coming to expect and demand.

[itvt]: My understanding is that Ensequence and TVWorks have actually been collaborating for some time now, correct?

Khader: Yes. As you know, our platform today supports OpenTV: we’re fully deployed on BSkyB and fully deployed on DISH Network. It also supports MHP and OCAP, and, in addition, we have a PowerTV version that we’re working on. And, over the last nine months, we’ve been working very closely with TVWorks, to enable our authoring environments to create applications that will run on the ETV standard on the TVWorks platform.

What this means is that now US content producers and advertisers can use our tools to create applications that will run across DISH and across cable. Then, when OCAP is deployed, we’ll support the creation of applications on OCAP as well. And, over time, we will also support authoring of applications on the other big US satellite TV provider, DirecTV.

[itvt]: In your opinion, how flexible is ETV-BIF–or EBIF as it’s otherwise referred to–from the perspective of authoring applications?

Khader: On Motorola systems, it’s a little less flexible–simply because of the nature of the DCT2000 set-tops, which happen to be the largest installed base of boxes that it tries to address. On the Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 2000 boxes, it’s much better. Let me elaborate a little here: the spec itself supports the various application types and is quite robust and well formulated. The capabilities–processing power, available memory, graphics support, font support, translucency support, etc.–of the underlying set-top box platform will determine how attractive the applications are. In that regard, it is well known and acknowledged that the DCT2000 boxes are quite low on the capability totem pole. The Explorer 2000 boxes are higher up in capability and will be able to run more attractive applications.

The ETV standard definitely doesn’t support all the bells and whistles that our environment can provide. So what we’re doing is we’re basically putting the right sandbox in place around our environment, so that you can effectively create applications that will run on ETV-BIF.

However, I should say that, as an enhanced TV platform, and as a platform to really leverage the advantages of cable, ETV-BIF is actually fairly decent.

[itvt]: And the types of applications it is designed to support are…

Khader: It supports applications that are contextually relevant to programming, such as voting and polling apps and play-along games. It also supports telescoping to VOD content: so, if you were watching, say, "The Sopranos" on HBO, you could click an icon to access other "Sopranos" episodes on-demand. This telescoping capability could also be used to allow viewers to jump from a commercial to a long-format advertisement. Now, when I mention that it allows you to do games, I don’t mean really rich-logic games. I’m talking about simple, arcade-ish games. You could do solitaire; you could do tic-tac-toe; you could do Tetris and things like that.

[itvt]: The ETV standard was designed primarily for what are commonly referred to as "bound" applications, though, wasn’t it?

Khader: Yes. The standard was designed primarily for applications that are relevant to AV content on the TV–and in OCAP terms that implies "bound" applications, i.e. applications tied to a specific channel that are activated when the channel is tuned to, and de-activated when the viewer tunes away to another channel. However there is no reason that the underlying BIF spec cannot support "unbound" applications, such as games, news, weather, or even EPG’s. In fact, the operators will surely deploy applications in ETV-BIF that are unbound.

[itvt]: Now, the ETV standard is based on the TVXML technology that GoldPocket initiated, correct?

Khader: Actually, I think it’s more based on MetaTV’s XML technology. The two companies submitted their respective XML technologies to CableLabs and, after lots of back-and-forth, CableLabs chose MetaTV’s implementation. That’s what formed the basis of ETV-BIF.

Ensequence has actually had a relationship with MetaTV for a long time. And after MetaTV’s acquisition by Comcast and its integration into TVWorks, we’ve continued to work with them pretty closely, as I mentioned earlier. And, of course, this relationship is now officially a strategic partnership that will see our tools really supporting the TVWorks platform.

[itvt]: Now Ensequence already has a relationship with Cox, which is one of TVWorks’ MSO parents–the other being Comcast…

Khader: Yes. So the real significance of this strategic partnership with TVWorks is that it will give us access to Comcast’s interactive TV platform, because that platform will be based on TVWorks’ software.

[itvt]: Do you know when Comcast plans to launch TVWorks?

Khader: Starting late this year or early next year–very early next year. Technical trials are already scheduled, and I think they’re looking at Q2 of next year to begin a broad deployment. But that is our assessment–not something that Comcast has told us.

[itvt]: And Cox…

Khader: They’ve already deployed TVWorks’ platform in some markets. But they’ve deployed Version 2.1 of the solution, which is not EBIF compliant. They haven’t announced publicly any dates, but our understanding is that they’ll be rolling out the EBIF-compliant version of TVWorks’ solution in the second half of next year.

[itvt]: Now Ensequence’s revenue-generating business relationships are with content providers, correct?

Khader: Yes. Generally, they’re the ones who license our software and services. We already have established relationships with the content community because we supply them with tools for authoring applications for DISH Network, broadband, etc. And now, as a result of this deal, we’ll also now enable them to author applications for cable platforms.

By the way, Cox has also licensed our tools and has told us that they will be promoting us to their content and advertising partners. Comcast, though, has not yet licensed our tools.

[itvt]: Is TVWorks licensing your tools as part of your strategic partnership?

Khader: The relationship will see us supplying some tools to TVWorks on a trial basis. TVWorks is going to be developing applications for Comcast and for Cox, and our tools will be considered by them for that.

[itvt]: How, if at all, do you anticipate that the new deal with TVWorks will affect your growth as a company?

Khader: We’ll definitely see more growth through this relationship with TVWorks. Because, as you know, a lot of the content community is really interested in doing cable applications, but in doing them in a commercially viable, cost-effective, content production-oriented way–which is what our tools are really about.

Cable is the best platform for interactive today–it is two-way, and it is local. The problem has been the diversity of technology and the difficulty in developing interactive applications that could reach any reasonable number of viewers. The ETV standard specifically addresses this by providing a uniform interactive technical platform for running interactive applications. Thus, in one fell swoop, 20-25 million ETV-BIF-compatible set-top boxes deployed today–that cannot support OCAP–can become interactive. Ensequence provides the creative authoring environment that enables the content and advertising community to make use of this platform easily and in a familiar manner. The combination of a uniform execution platform for legacy cable set-top boxes and a production oriented, creative authoring platform makes this an extremely attractive proposition for programmers and advertisers, and that is good for cable, good for the TV industry, and therefore good for us.

[itvt]: Now, I take it that Ensequence is interested in ensuring that its tools can create applications for multiple platforms–not just for TV…

Khader: Absolutely. At NCTA and, following that, at IBC, we demonstrated applications, that were created using our tools, running on set-top boxes for a variety of digital television platforms, running on PC’s, running on Macs, and even running on mobile phones. You can create an application for all those platforms using a single tool, and then manage it all from one location.

We’re definitely interested in all the new video platforms, and we have solutions for those platforms. We see ourselves as an interactive video company, and we have solutions wherever video is. In May, for example–as you probably recall–a Major League Baseball application went live, which was developed and deployed using our tools. It launched to all MLB subscribers online on the PC platform, and then we delivered to them our Mac solution in August. As you know, the MLB application was a finalist for an interactive Emmy award.

However, I don’t want to downplay the importance to us as a company of television–in the sense of video that’s delivered to a television set. Obviously we believe in video on other platforms as well, but we believe that television always has and will continue to play a hugely significant role. That’s why for us enabling interactivity on cable is extremely important–in other words, that’s why this partnership with TVWorks is so significant.

[itvt]: Now, as an interactive video company, where do you anticipate the most growth taking place over, say, the next year or so?

Khader: Well, in terms of barriers to entry, the broadband platform has the lowest barrier to entry, in that it allows pretty much anybody to distribute video. What will be interesting to see, from our perspective, is whether professionally produced content will rule the broadband video space–which might be better for us–or user-generated content. However, we have definitely made a big commitment to broadband video and we’ll continue to push forward with our solutions there. We’re really all about taking a 360-degree approach, enabling interactive video content and advertising across TV’s, mobile devices and broadband.

The mobile platform is fairly open, as well. In fact, based on IBC, I can tell you that the amount of activity, excitement and investment going on in mobile TV is just amazing. It’s absolutely fascinating. I think that, in the next 12 months, we’ll see mobile TV really becoming pretty huge across Europe, and then in the US, as more of the operators get their 3G platforms in place, and as DVB-H and MediaFLO are adopted.

And, of course, we see cable as extremely important in the overall television and video context, and as a very significant area of growth. That’s why, over the past two years, we’ve put a huge amount of investment into creating and supporting solutions for this platform, and why we see this partnership with TVWorks as so important.

URL: http://www.ensequence.com

Originally Published: October 27, 2006 in [itvt] Issue 7.01

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