Some press!
moneycentral.msn.com
Shonstrom's favorite interactive TV stock is ACTV, which he
rates a "strong buy."
The company has distinguished itself by rolling out an array of
interactive TV services and features and, therefore, is likely to
see a surge in revenue sooner than the others, Shonstrom says.
His revenue projections are somewhat "subjective" at this early
stage, he cautions. But he estimates that ACTV will report $2.8
million in revenue for 1999, $25 million this year and $100 million
in 2001.
One service that ACTV already has launched is called HyperTV,
which provides Web site content synchronized with programming
on pay-per-view cable TV channels. It may seem far-fetched that
TV viewers would want to surf the Web in order to do such things
as call up a "secret profile" of Dr. Evil while watching "Austin
Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." But the service apparently
strikes a chord with many.
Mike Rosen, a spokesman for ACTV, says the HyperTV
supplement to the Austin Powers movie showing this month
should generate an additional 200,000 to 300,000 online
purchases of Austin Powers merchandise.
In the first half of this year, ACTV will be rolling out several other
services, including "individualized TV." Offered in conjunction with
the Fox Sports channel, it will allow sports fans to select camera
angles for viewing a game. Once the next generation of digital
set-top box arrives, these ACTV features all will be offered on one
TV screen, replacing the "two-screen" solution allowed by the
current level of technology.
|
