Interactive TV News Round-Up (VI): ONO, TiVo, Virgin Media

Because the [itvt] editorial team has been working on The TV of Tomorrow Show 2012, we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format.

TiVo, la Televisión Inteligente de ONO from ONO on Vimeo.

•  TiVo announced last week that Spanish cable MSO, ONO, has rolled out its TiVo-based hybrid-TV service to its fiber optic subscribers in Valencia. The service originally launched in Madrid and Barcelona. "For the first time, ONO fiber optic customers in Valencia can now access high-definition (HD) and 3D video content as well as digital video recording (DVR), and all through the TiVo experience," TiVo states in its press materials. "In addition, ONO offers these TiVo customers thousands of hours of broadband-delivered on-demand video. As a result, even more ONO customers are able to enjoy the most advanced hybrid-television services available in Spain...TiVo and ONO plan to soon expand into additional Spanish markets throughout the coming year."
• In other TiVo news: The company recently announced the release of an enhanced version of its StopWatch ratings service that it says will provide customers with next-day access to TV viewing data (note: the StopWatch service provides second-by-second viewership data that is aggregated anonymously from approximately 300,000 TiVo boxes). "Within as little as 12 hours after content airs, StopWatch provides subscribers invaluable insight into the performance of their ads and programming from the prior day," the company states in its press materials. "TiVo has tailored this new capability and several other enhancements to meet the needs of advertisers and brands in an increasingly on-demand and fragmented television-viewing world." In addition, TiVo has rolled out various enhancements to its PowerWatch ratings service, which gathers viewing data from 43,000 TiVo households that have volunteered to participate in a passive consumer panel. The enhancements "will help to make the user experience for its clients more streamlined and allow new data comparisons to improve media planning and targeting," the company states in its press materials. "The new features will improve: 1) Reach and Frequency Data--Upgrades to the PowerWatch client portal allow for more granular analysis and more customizable datasets results. 2) Indexing Against Two Segments--Enhanced segmentation capabilities now allows for comparison between two groups of target audiences, such as 'Teens' vs. 'Heavy Movie Goers.'" Said TiVo's SVP and general manager of content and media sales, Tara Maitra: "Advertisers are still relying on essentially undependable DVR audience measurement data that still looks at the world of TV viewing in minutes versus seconds and uses diminutive sample sizes. There are better options available today. Our services deliver data that drills on each second of viewing and every click of the remote providing a far more precise picture of what target audiences are watching compared with other DVR-derived data that is currently available in the market. The improved insight capabilities we are unveiling today will further enhance our clients' ability to understand and analyze how their target audiences in DVR households are consuming television, better optimize their planning and ad buys, and ultimately help improve ROI in today's complex on-demand world."
• UK cable operator, Virgin Media, last week began rolling out new Sky Sports red-button interactive TV services on its TiVo-powered hybrid-TV platform. "With 2012 promising to bring Brits a stunning year of sport, customers with Virgin Media's TiVo service will now able to take advantage of a whole host of sporting extras, including multiscreen services becoming available through the red button," the company states in its press materials. "Red Button interactive services form part of an exciting roadmap of new features and functionality destined for TiVo throughout the year. Leading the line-up of services through TiVo are interactive Sky Sports Red Button services. From today Sky Sports and Sky Sports HD subscribers on TiVo will be able to take full advantage of interactivity provided by multiple background events, allowing customers to enjoy more of their favorite sports through alternative views. On Saturday 3rd March Football First also makes its debut through the Red Button on TiVo, giving die-hard footy fans the ability to catch extended highlights from Premier League games. Following the launch of Sky Sports Red Button services on TiVo, further interactive services will be added over the coming weeks and months. Sky has also developed interactive Red Button services for the launch of its Sky Sports F1 channel which Virgin Media digital TV customers will also be able to take advantage of...Virgin Media is working with a variety of partners for a range of new apps and next-generation interactive services to make the most of the advanced features and connectivity built into the TiVo service." Said Virgin Media's product director for TV, Simon Hunt: "With so much excitement building for the biggest sporting events this year, we know our customers are going to love the extra dimension these interactive services will bring. From clips and interviews to selectable camera angles and even Red Button-exclusive shows, we're thrilled to offer Sky Sports subscribers on Virgin Media new ways to experience their favorite sports with even more depth than ever before."