Backchannelmedia, Inc. and WJAR-TV NBC Channel 10, Rhode Island’s first TV station, today announced that the station will begin testing Backchannelmedia’s TV-to-Internet click through technology. The market trial, set to begin this summer, marks the third market test of Backchannelmedia’s technology, and quickly follows agreements announced with WMUR-TV ABC Channel 9 in Manchester, NH and WCVB-TV/DT ABC Channel 5 in Boston. This is the first Media General owned TV station to participate and signifies Backchannelmedia’s first entry into the Rhode Island market.
The test will last for one year and will allow WJAR to collect valuable data on viewer engagement and allow the TV station to develop new forms of programming linked to the Internet. Using set-top box equipment enabled with Backchannelmedia’s patent pending technology, TV viewers are provided the ability to interact through their TV remote control when prompted by a non-intrusive icon. These “clickable moments” can be found in both programming and traditional commercial spots and allow the user the ability to “bookmark” their interests, forwarding them to their own personalized website.
“We are impressed with Backchannelmedia’s technology and excited to become involved with this test,” said Lisa Churchville, President and General Manager of WJAR. “The digital transition opens up possibilities for convergence. We think Backchannelmedia’s product provides the long anticipated connection between TV and the Internet in an easy to use, seamless manner that will serve both our viewers and our advertisers.”
“We’re thrilled to bring Media General’s WJAR-TV 10 on board as the third TV station participating in our New England market trial,” said Michael Kokernak, co-CEO of Backchannelmedia. “With Backchannelmedia’s technology, television stations and cable networks will take both digital television and Internet content to new heights as a ‘clickable moment’ will translate into unprecedented viewer engagement and scores of new revenue streams.”
About Backchannelmedia Inc.
Boston-based Backchannelmedia Inc. (www.backchannelmedia.com) was founded in 2000. Backchannelmedia has developed technology that can be embedded into existing set-top boxes currently found in many TV viewer homes that allows the viewer to forward or “bookmark” their interests from TV to the online world. That interactive technology combined with the Backchannelmedia Portal on the Internet creates a secure link between the TV and Internet platforms. This secure link can be used to create a richer viewing experience for the TV viewer by linking it to content and e-commerce on the Internet.
Backchannelmedia’s opt-in solution answers TV viewer concerns for increased online privacy by extending controls to the viewer for the TV experience. Backchannelmedia’s patent pending technology can be deployed in consumer electronics equipment, TV sets, over the air receivers, cable head-ends, switched digital video and network DVR technologies, direct broadcast providers, as well as a multitude of devices and delivery providers.
About NBC 10 WJAR
WJAR-TV/DT is the most watched television station in the Providence-New Bedford television market and NBC 10 News is Southern New England’s leading news station. WJAR was first launched as a radio station in 1922 and then became the market’s first television station in 1949. WJAR-TV/DT is owned by Media General, Inc.
About Media General
Media General is a leading provider of local news, information and entertainment over multiple media platforms. The company serves markets primarily in the Southeastern United States. Media General publishes 25 daily newspapers, including The Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Winston-Salem Journal; and community newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina; plus approximately 275 weekly newspapers and other targeted publications. The company owns and operates 22 network-affiliated television stations that reach more than 30 percent of the television households in the Southeast and 9 percent of those in the United States. The company’s interactive media operations include Web sites and portals that are associated with each of its newspapers and television stations as well as with many specialty publications, and two growing interactive advertising services companies, Blockdot, Inc. and DealTaker.com.
Contacts:
Terry Frechette, 781-782-5791
Terry_Frechette@lpp.com
