awards

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group (IMPG) has announced that the deadline for submitting entries for the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media is April 30th.

Entries can be submitted online at http://www.emmys.tv, and additional entry and eligibility information is available at http://www.emmys.tv/interactive.

TV Guide Network on Monday announced two new initiatives which it says will make its 2010 award-season live red-carpet telecasts "more fun, fashionable and interactive for the fans at home."

Dick Clark Productions (DCP) contacted [itvt] Wednesday to let us know that it is teaming with Facebook (which, according to new figures from Nielsen's VideoCensus, is now the third-largest broadband video site after YouTube and Hulu in total streams) to add a live, interactive broadband video element to its annual American Music Awards (AMA).

[itvt] can today reveal the winners of the Mediaroom Application Contest that Microsoft held at its 3rd Annual Mediaroom Developers Conference last month (note: Mediaroom is Microsoft's IPTV platform, which the company says has now been deployed in over 4 million subscriber households worldwide, by a customer base that includes AT&T, BT, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom and Portugal Telecom, among others).

NBC Universal last week announced that it would provide multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD's) with various interactive TV and VOD offerings, in order to enhance and drive interest in its coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games (February 12th-28th). "As the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games approach, NBC Universal is committed to delivering an effective multiplatform strategy to drive awareness and engage viewers on a local and national level," Brian Hunt, NBCU's SVP of marketing and sales strategy for TV networks distribution, said in a prepared statement. "The Olympics bring the opportunity for viewers to experience all of the adrenaline and excitement of the largest winter sports competition, with access in their homes or on the go."

Strategic media agency, Media Storm (note: earlier this month, the company announced the formation of a new division, called BOLT, that will be focused solely on developing and implementing advertising campaigns that use interactive TV, addressable advertising and VOD platforms--see the article published on itvt.com, October 8th), said Wednesday that it has been selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as its media buying agency of record, and that it is now starting work on the promotion of the telecast of the 82nd Ac

AFDESI (the Association for the Development of Enhanced TV Services and Interactivity) has announced the winners of its International Interactive TV Awards, which were presented at an awards ceremony at MIPCOM in Cannes, Tuesday night:

Here is a round-up of other interactive TV-related news stories we didn't have room for in this issue:

AT&T on Monday announced two new interactive TV services and new "Media Share" functionality for its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, U-verse TV. The new ITV services are Multiview, which allows viewers to watch multiple channels at once; and TV Awards and New Shows, which is designed to keep viewers up-to-date on the fall season's award shows and premieres. The new Media Share feature, meanwhile, allows viewers to stream personal photos and music files from their PC to the TV set. All three enhancements are being offered at no additional charge.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has revealed the winners of the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has issued a call for entries for the 2010 International Digital Emmy Awards, which recognize excellence in programming and other content created and designed for viewer interaction and/or delivery on a digital platform (e.g. interactive TV, the Internet, mobile, etc.). The deadline for entries is November 2nd, 2009; nominations will be announced in early March, 2010; and the winners will be announced in April during an International Digital Emmy Awards Ceremony at MIPTV 2010 in Cannes, France.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Thursday announced the nominees for the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media--and this year has turned out to be a very good one for NBC, whose projects represent five of the six nominees. This year marks the first time that Interactive Media Emmy finalists have received full-fledged nominee status.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said Wednesday that it has hired Web development company, Metal Toad, and creative agency, Playground Group, to spearhead a "user-friendly" redesign and expansion of its existing Web sites. The organization says that the revamp will create three distinct interactive online destinations: Emmys.com, which will be targeted at consumers and fans; Emmys.tv, which will be targeted at Television Academy members and the press; and EmmysFoundation.org, which will be targeted at academics and others interested in the history and culture of television.

AFDESI, the French Association for Interactive Television, contacted [itvt] Thursday to let us know that it has launched its seventh annual international interactive TV competition, the International ITV Awards 2009. The competition will culminate in an awards ceremony, during the IBC, at Amsterdam's Hotel Okura on the evening of September 13th. Awards will recognize excellence in 10 categories:

Cable channel, GSN (formerly known as the Game Show Network), announced Tuesday that comedian Howie Mandel will host its June 6th Game Show Awards (8:00PM ET, 7:00PM CT), which it bills as "the first awards show exclusively aimed at celebrating excellence in the genre of game shows."