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It seems most people think that WaveTop is only going to 50 markets right now. This appears to be incorrect
The following is from the Florida Times Union -
While tomorrow's launch officially is limited to 50 cities, not including Jacksonville, all PBS stations will be sending the WaveTop data, since it will be embedded in
the national PBS uplink.
However, WaveTop currently has monitoring equipment installed only at PBS stations in those 50 markets. Users in Jacksonville most likely will be able to receive
WaveTop broadcasts starting tomorrow, but the company isn't making any promises until it has monitoring gear installed at WJCT TV-7 -- probably within a
couple of weeks, said WaveTop director of operations Michael Sowell.
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Here's some additional news:
Dave
LA Times story that says WaveTop has got 3000 downloads first day.
Talks about need of Win 98 for WaveTop success.
latimes.com:80/CNS_DAYS/980407/t000032908.html
Additional more general story.
latimes.com:80/CNS_DAYS/980406/t000032657.html
NY Daily News Story
SECTION: Business; Pg. 63
LENGTH: 307 words
HEADLINE: IT'S THE LATEST WAVETOP IN TV PROGRAMING
BYLINE: By KENNETH LI Special to The News
BODY:
The Web is getting its shot at TV stardom.
WaveTop, the first nationwide broadcast of Web content over conventional TV airwaves, was launched yesterday by Phoenix-based WavePhore Inc.
The service is free, but users must purchase a $ 100 TV tuner card to plug into their home PCs to receive broadcasts.
At launch, WaveTop will begin broadcasting limited Web pages from a bevy of major content providers that include Time Inc. New Media, Wall Street Journal
Interactive Edition, CBS Sportsline and other content streamed directly onto their computers. Broadcasts will reach two-thirds of all U.S. households and reach
85% by this summer.
WavePhore also secured a deal with Microsoft to have WaveTop software bundled into the next version of its operating system, Windows 98.
"The whole premise of WaveTop is (that) you're not waiting for content anymore," said Sandy Goldman, general manager of WavePhore.
Companies like Microsoft, Netscape, and PointCast who all provided a version of the technology largely conceded defeat last year when users failed to adopt the
medium.
Analysts noted WaveTop has solved some of the problems that had stymied others.
"Compared to other data broadcast attempts, this one seems to be on pretty good footing," said group director Ross Rubin, of the telecommunications and
technology division of Jupiter Communications, a New York-based Internet research firm.
Still, WavePhore looks to face an uphill battle as it searches for advertisers at a time when mainstream advertisers are slow to market their products on the Web.
For the launch, companies like Kellogg, Nissan, Smith Barney and Spiegel join more tradtional Net advertisers like Intel and Hewlett-Packard to advertise on
WaveTop.
The company also will live and die by the quality of its content, said Rubin. |
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