To: +art slott (4575 )
From: +mike.com Sunday, Jun 6 1999 6:47PM ET
Reply # of 4602
From Cable World:
cableworld.com
ACTV and TCI Team to Spin Music onto
the Internet
By Alan Breznick
In another sign of convergence between the television and
computer, ACTV Inc. and TCI Music Inc. will team up to offer
music videos on cable linked to synchronized music content on the
Internet, starting later this year.
The two companies, both partly owned by Liberty Media Group,
will use ACTV's HyperTV technology to dish up the TV-Web
service to cable subscribers with PCs. Viewers watching a music
video on the Box Music Network will be able to log on to a special
Web site for song lyrics, band member biographies, feature stories
on the musicians, trivia questions and CD purchases, among other
things.
The two partners hope to generate revenues through interactive TV
and Web ads and increased home shopping sales. "I think we'll
have an immediate revenue stream from advertising," said Alan
McGlade, president/CEO of the Box.
Designed to entice consumers to use their TV sets and personal
computers in tandem, HyperTV is similar to the "enhanced TV"
service that ABC Sports and ESPN Internet Ventures have been
testing with football telecasts, most recently with the Fiesta Bowl
last January. It's also similar to Showtime's online scoring of boxing
matches that it televises and synchronized TV-Web content tests
occurring at A & E Networks.
ACTV executives aim to go beyond these TV-Internet convergence
experiments, however, and offer a comprehensive commercial
service that supplements music, sports, news and other TV
programming with Web content automatically delivered to a
viewer's PC. They're pursuing strategic partnerships with cable
operators and other content licensing deals with cable networks,
broadcasters and syndicated programmers.
"We are looking to leverage off the programming we're aligned
with, particularly Liberty Media," said David Reese,
president/COO of ACTV, whose company is 10% owned by
Liberty.
Analysts praised the move by ACTV, which has been seeking to
license its HyperTV technology to programmers for months.
"It's a real score for ACTV," said Gary Arlen, a new-media
consultant in Bethesda, Md. "Multi-tasking is definitely on the rise,
especially with short-form entertainment programming."
(June 7, 1999)
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