Excerpts from:
Tracy Swedlow's
*I N T E R A C T I V E TV T O D A Y*
An Email Publication
December 3, 1999 Issue 2.52
"GI Invests in ACTV's ADCO Ad Tracking System
General Instrument has invested $5 million in ACTV's Digital
ADCO. The investment will translate into a 49% share of stock
in the ACTV subsidiary that develops interactive digital
advertising distribution and tracking technology with sensitive
targeting. The ADCO system works directly with GI digital STB
platforms and ACTV's interactive TV multiple remote camera system
called "Individualized Television". While using ACTV's "IT", the user
can respond to certain prompts and, teach the system to remember their
likes and dislikes. Digital insertion, tracking, and targeting is becoming
a hot button development sector within the ITV industry. Look for more
entrants (other than the ones already in existence) in the following 6 months.
ACTV's HyperTV Bond Project Gets Off to a Better Run
The TBS Superstation collaboration with ACTV for the "15 Days
of Bond" showing, got off to a rocky start (Issue 2.51), but seems
to have streamlined by Thursday evening as "The Spy Who
Loved Me" played its haunting musical themes. Viewers who had
computers in the same room could launch ACTV's HyperTV
application after downloading and registering. When the plug-in
became available, users could chat within a selected room among
many (e.g. Paris, Monte Carlo, Tokyo, etc.) Earlier in the week, there
chat rooms and revolving factoids stalled to the point where things
became disruptive and discontinuous. Last night, things flowed and
factoids were more relevant to the programming. In fact, interactive
questionnaires were even offered. One even asked the users to choose
between "Shaken" or "Stirred". In the next implementation, it would
be nice to see more interactivity and video within the application. "
Bill |
