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ACTV ACQUIRES ASSETS OF CATCHTV, INCLUDING KEY TV-INTERNET "BOOKMARKING"
TECHNOLOGY
Strengthens Intellectual Property Portfolio for TV-Internet Convergence
Programming, Powered By HyperTV*
NEW YORK -- Nov. 23 -- ACTV, Inc. (NASDAQ: IATV) today announced it has acquired all the assets of CatchTV. Included in the assets are the rights
to proprietary and patented technology that enables a television viewer to "bookmark" information from the Internet that is related to a TV program or
advertisement (U.S. Patent No. 5,907,322). The "bookmarking" technology, along with other elements of CatchTV's service, will be incorporated into
HyperTV*, ACTV's patented software solution for the creation and delivery of TV-Internet convergence programming. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The announcement was made by William C. Samuels, chairman and
chief executive officer, ACTV, Inc.
The "bookmarking" technology enables viewers to save addresses of Web pages (URLs) that are related to TV programming, and view them BEFORE, DURING or AFTER the TV program has aired. By incorporating these capabilities into HyperTV, ACTV can offer TV networks, programmers and
advertisers the ability to more effectively extend their brands to the Web and create new e-commerce revenue streams, without pulling viewer "eyeballs" away from the TV programming. HyperTV enables TV networks,
programmers and advertisers to automatically deliver to consumers compelling interactive Web content, Web-based advertising messages, e-commerce, and community chat features that are synchronized to correspond with a live or pre-recorded television program.
"We were looking for the best opportunity for bringing our technology to the marketplace. We believe ACTV has put together a suite of products and services, supported by an extensive intellectual property portfolio, that strongly positions them to deliver the best solution," said
David McGlade, president and chief executive officer, CatchTV. "By combining the assets of CatchTV into HyperTV, television advertisers will be able to maximize their ad dollars by targeting consumers with the direct-response, one-to-one marketing capabilities of the Web, while TV
networks and programmers won't have to worry about Web efforts diluting
their audience."
Earlier this year, ACTV acquired U.S. Patent No. 5,761,606 (aka "The Wolzien Process") from Wall Street media analyst Tom Wolzien. Thepatent covers a proprietary process for allowing consumers to "pull" information from the Internet that is synchronized to a specific video
program, audio program, commercial message or news story delivered via broadcast television, cable, satellite or pre-recorded media. The Wolzien Process was a key addition to ACTV's intellectual property portfolio for HyperTV, helping to position the software as a leading solution for TV/Web
convergence.
"We're always pursuing ways to strengthen our market position through cutting-edge technology. The 'bookmarking' capability developed by CatchTV further differentiates HyperTV from any service available today for TV/Web convergence programming," said Kevin Liga, chief technology officer, ACTV, Inc. "CatchTV's technology makes HyperTV more user-friendly, enabling a viewer to interact as much or as little as they'd like with the complementary Web content, without feeling pressured to immediately view the content, memorize URLs or launch an extensive Web search during the TV program" |
