ActiveVideo Networks Enhances its Platform

--Hires Ad-Industry Vet, Nisbet, to Lead New Arm Targeting Advertisers

ActiveVideo Networks (formerly ICTV), a company which offers
technologies that bring interactive Web media to television and which
claims that those technologies are now powering such hybrid services
for over a million cable and IPTV viewers, has announced an enhanced
version of its ActiveVideo Distribution Network. According to the
company, the new version of its platform will simplify and accelerate
the availability of Web-based programming and advertising on the
television and enable consumers to experience such services as
user-generated content, social media, Web-based channels, games and
other applications through virtually any network-connected device,
including Web-connected TV's, Blu-ray players, video game consoles,
and more, in addition to cable and IPTV set-top boxes (note: these
services are delivered to the television set as a single MPEG stream).
"While consumers today have a clear desire to experience Web media
on the television, they are often paralyzed by the need to choose among
a number of conflicting technological options," ActiveVideo president
and CEO, Jeff Miller, said in a prepared statement. "Our platform
simply utilizes the strength of the network and the MPEG-2, DivX or
H.264 decoders on every Web-connected device and set-top box,
enabling even the simplest CE products to deliver Web media in an
extraordinary, compelling viewing environment."

ActiveVideo Networks bills channels powered by its platform as
seamlessly combining broadband video, graphics, viewer interaction
and targeted interactive advertising: broadband-driven channels are
personalized in the network and delivered to the TV set via the
ActiveVideo Distribution Network, reducing the cost of program
production and keeping the features of high video quality, immediacy
and remote control navigation that viewers expect from television, the
company says. It claims that its technologies allow TV viewing to be
shaped by a wide range of entities, including traditional and Web-based
programmers, local cable affiliates, consumer electronics companies,
advertisers, social networks and viewers themselves. "The enormous
market fragmentation in Web-to-TV solutions makes it difficult for us
to author interactive and timely content for many diverse platforms,"
Ed Skolarus, VP of business and operations at ActiveVideo client, Fox
Reality Channel, said in a prepared statement. "This process is costly
and requires many resources. What's been needed to drive
cost-effective distribution and viewer adoption is a solution based on
existing Web technologies and video standards like MPEG that enables
us to create content once for any connected device."

Applications enabled by ActiveVideo Networks' technology, according
to the company (note: all the applications are navigated via the
traditional TV remote control), include:

• Social networking, allowing viewers to link their TV viewing with
  their online communities, in order to, for example, share
  recommendations of TV shows and other media.
• VOD menuing that lets viewers sample VOD content and easily
  search for titles, actors and genres of interest.
• Advertising showcases that can immerse viewers in dedicated
  advertiser locations that might offer personalizable experiences and
  support tcommerce.
• Casual gaming (through ActiveVideo's partner, TAG Networks) in a
  number of genres, including puzzle, arcade, card, word, trivia, sports
  and children's games.

In other ActiveVideo Networks news: The company has hired
veteran interactive advertising and marketing executive, Todd M.
Nisbet, to set up and lead a new department dedicated to
popularizing its services among advertisers (note: [itvt] has learned
that ActiveVideo Networks will be announcing another very
significant hire this coming Monday; we'll have full coverage of
this in our next issue).. Nisbet, who will hold the title, SVP of strategic relations, will be tasked with working with a range of media entities,
including marketers, agencies, programmers and managed and
unmanaged network operators, to launch what ActiveVideo Networks
describes as the "next phase" of its service's deployment: i.e. targeted,
actionable advertising and sponsorship. "ActiveVideo's high levels of
usage and the ability to deliver deeply personalized content to
individual consumers hold clear value to the advertising industry for
building brand awareness and driving transactions," Ed Forman,
ActiveVideo's EVP of products and services and chief strategy officer,
said in a prepared statement. "Todd M. Nisbet's interactive expertise
and his background with both clients and agencies will accelerate our
creation of advertising models and strategies that help programmers,
operators and CE manufacturers to monetize the ActiveVideo
experience." Added Nisbet: "The one-to-one ability to deliver the right
ad to the right viewer at the right time on television continues to be the
ultimate goal for the advertising community. The models we are
creating will help marketers to engage viewers in the living room using
the same standards-based creation, targeting and distribution
mechanisms that have spurred the growth of Web ads and commerce.
Relevancy is the advertising backbone of the ActiveVideo platform.
What we have deployed in the market today is proven to be better TV
for everyone."

According to ActiveVideo Networks, Nisbet, who will be based in New
York City, has been directly responsible for the launches of 18
interactive businesses, and has developed and marketed products and
brands globally for such companies as Disney, Prudential, AT&T and
IBM. In his new position, he will be responsible for nurturing the
company's incipient advertising business by promoting its services to
the advertising community and by working with programmers and
other partners to structure advertising campaigns. He will also serve as
a liaison between the advertising community and ActiveVideo's
business development, engineering and programming departments. He
holds a BA in communications from USC and an MBA (specializing in
corporate communications) from Seton Hall University.

ActiveVideo Networks claims that its platform can improve the
effectiveness of advertising on television by allowing deeper audience
engagement with brands through media-rich advertising showcases; by
adding transactional capabilities to commercials (note: transactions can
be conducted using standard remote controls); by providing accurate,
real-time audience-measurement data; by enabling advertisers to draw
on existing Web creative and development processes; and by enabling
the creation or modification of content once for distribution to every
set-top box and Web-connected TV device.