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NBC Universal is trumpeting what it says has been a "ground breaking year" for it in interactive television. In a press release issued last month, the company boasted that it launched a total of 40 interactive TV programs or events last year across 12 business units; that it launched seven single-screen ITV applications–more, it says, than any other media company in the US; that interactive programs, such as the NBC network’s "Deal or No Deal" (which offered a contest in which viewers could win $10,000) and Bravo’s "Project Runway," generated over 100 million Web votes and 30 million SMS messages; and that, in February, NBC became the first US network to deploy the same single- screen ITV app ("NBC Olympics Now"–see [itvt] Issue 6.54 Part 3) to multiple digital platforms simultaneously. "We need to find ways to engage consumers like never before," Jeff Gaspin, president of digital content and cross-network strategy for NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, said in a prepared statement. "These interactive applications give us insight into our viewers’ behavior and offer them opportunities to connect with their favorite programming." Added NBC Universal’s director of ITV product development, Jon Dakss (note: for an in-depth interview with Dakss, see [itvt] Issue 6.71): "ITV is a huge area of growth for the company. It has significantly changed television viewing habits, making it a much more hands-on experience. Viewers are clearly responding in record numbers, and we are excited to launch a number of new interactive features in the coming year."

NBC Universal is also pointing out that its ITV offerings have been associated with several "landmark sponsorship opportunities": Bravo’s "Top Chef" and advertiser, Sears Kenmore PRO, accomplished three firsts for a US network program, NBC Universal says, by deploying: 1) the first sponsored single-screen enhanced TV element over a digital cable network; 2) the first single-screen enhanced TV element for a show across multiple digital cable systems simultaneously; and 3) the first sponsored cross-carrier video message to a cell phone. In addition, the company says, during the first season of "Top Chef," the show’s single-screen application (which was powered by Navic Networks and available to Time Warner Cable digital subscribers) saw a viewer-participation rate of 30%.

NBC Universal also says that its interactive TV department–which is part of a new NBC Universal division called the Technology Growth Center–has made two new hires in recent weeks: Andy Castin has joined the department from ABC/Disney as a senior ITV technical producer, and will work with NBC’s Sports and News divisions; and Elena Ritchie has joined the department from Motricity (formerly GoldPocket Wireless) as an ITV technical producer, and will focus on ITV initiatives for NBC’s entertainment properties.

Originally Published: January 2, 2006  in [itvt] Issue 7.12 Part 1

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