ITV

Tag: Jeff Gaspin

  • Online video streaming increasingly being used by TV viewers to play catch up: NBC Study

    Online video streaming increasingly being used by TV viewers to play catch up: NBC Study

    MUMBAI: NBC.com has released new research on its NBC Rewind streaming video player. 78 per cent of its online users have watched an episode they had missed on broadcast television, expanding the reach of NBC Entertainment programming on the Net.

    Further, 26 per cent have re-watched an episode after watching the broadcast and 34 per cent used the online player to watch a show they had never seen before. In addition, Rewind users built upon NBC Primetime’s already upscale audience by skewing younger, more male and higher educated than average television and internet audiences.

    NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, digital content, cross network strategy president Jeff Gaspin says, “Our viewers responded strongly to the streaming video on our site. Contrary to conventional wisdom, consumers are ready to watch long-form entertainment on the web and we plan on making more available. We’re especially encouraged by this research and believe that we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg on this new platform.”

    Since NBC Rewind’s debut on October 1, 2006, 6.9 million unique users have streamed nearly 42 million full-episode videos. The average time spent per visit in December 2006 averaged 35 minutes for NBC Rewind — the third straight month the figure had increased. Usage of NBC Rewind helped make NBC.com the number one broadcast network website in December 2006 and the third ranking television site overall, behind AOL TV and MSN TV and ahead of Yahoo!TV and ABC.com, according to comScore Media Metrix.

    From an advertising perspective, 81 per cent recall the pre-roll ads after two or more exposures. And 72 per cent agree that Rewind ads are less disruptive than traditional advertising while over 40 per cent agree that ads are easy to remember, seamlessly integrated and caught their attention.

    More than 60 per cent of users always watch the full episode when viewing in on Rewind.

  • NBC Universal sees growth in interactive TV

    NBC Universal sees growth in interactive TV

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate NBC Universal says that its television networks had a strong year in interactive television.

    40 iTV programmes or events were launched across 12 business units, and generated over 130 million web votes and SMS messages.

    The wide variety of iTV features ranged from choosing the Lucky Case for the chance to win $10,000 on NBC’s game show Deal or No Deal to single-screen synchronous interaction with Bravo’s Top Chef to in-show text alerts from the characters of USA Network’s The 4400.

    NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, Digital Content and Cross-Network Strategy president Jeff Gaspin says, “We need to find ways to engage consumers like never before. These interactive applications give us insight into our viewers’ behaviour and offer them opportunities to connect with their favorite programming.”

    NBC Universal director, iTV product development Jon Dakss says, “ITV is a huge area of growth for the company. It has significantly changed television viewing habits, making it a much more hands-on experience. Viewers are clearly responding in record numbers, and we are excited to launch a number of new interactive features in the coming year.”

    This year, NBCU says that it achieved several milestones in the iTV universe. The company launched seven single-screen iTV applications, more than any media company in the US, reaching millions of viewers. In addition, NBCU’s interactive programmes, like Deal or No Deal and Bravo’s Project Runway received over 100 million web votes and 30 million SMS messages. In February, NBC became the first U.S. network to deploy the same single-screen iTV application to multiple digital platforms simultaneously during the 2006 Winter Olympics.

    Moreover NBCU’s success in the iTV space has translated into several sponsorship opportunities. Bravo’s Top Chef and Sears Kenmore PRO accomplished three firsts for a US network programme by deploying the first sponsored 1-screen enhanced TV element over a digital cable network, the first 1-screen enhanced TV element for a show across multiple digital cable systems simultaneously, and the first sponsored cross-carrier video message to a cell phone. In Bravo’s first season of Top Chef single-screen interactivity that was made available to Time Warner Cable digital subscribers culminated in a peak of 30 per cent viewer participation.

    NBCU’s iTV department is part of a new NBC Universal division known as the Technology Growth Center, which continues to grow as NBCU’s digital efforts expand. The iTV team has made two new hires further bolstering its team. Andy Castin joins from ABC/Disney as a Senior iTV Technical Producer, working with NBC’s Sports and News divisions. Elena Ritchie from Motricity (formerly GoldPocket Wireless) also joins the group as an iTV Technical Producer and will focus on iTV initiatives for NBC’s entertainment properties.

  • NBC Universal laughs with broadband comedy channel

    NBC Universal laughs with broadband comedy channel

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate NBC Universal has launched a comedy broadband channel DotComedy at www.dotcomedy.com.

    NBC Universal Cable Entertainment president Jeff Gaspin says, “The launch of this new digital brand is an important milestone for us. NBC Universal has built a great history of comedy from late-night to ‘must-see TV.’ DotComedy is a digital extension in the same tradition. Comedy is one of the most successful genres on the web and this broadband channel will appeal to the advertisers’ targeted demos.”

    The focus of the programming on the new channel will be original, web-exclusive material developed specifically for DotComedy. The broadband channel will also feature content from NBC’s legendary late-night shows, including the first ten years of David Letterman’s late night career – NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman along with Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

    Sitcom fans will find vintage material mined from the NBC Universal television library, featuring the HBO series Dream On, Leave It To Beaver, The Munsters, Coach and Significant Others. DotComedy will also be home to a wide selection of stand-up, sketch material and viral videos.

    Additionally, DotComedy will give users an opportunity to showcase their own comedic talents by providing them with a virtual stage on which the site will feature user-generated content.