TV Genius

Business Briefing at IBC

Tom Weiss — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:09:29 +0000

We’re hosting a Business Briefing at IBC this year on the topic of “Content Discovery in a Multichannel World”, in the Hub at the heart of the Connected World in Hall 9 at 4:30pm on Saturday 11th September 2010.

We’ll be sharing the results of our European Content Discovery market research study, which has surveyed 3000 people from across Europe on what influences them to watch TV programmes, and how they find them, and have invited the following speakers to come and discuss their reaction to the research:

Mike McGuire, VP Research, Gartner, covering Media distribution, particularly online models
Phil Walder, COO, IP Vision, the business behind FetchTV, an hybrid DTT/OTT service provider
Miles Ross, Head of Mobile, IPC Magazines, publisher of What’s On TV magazine, the UK’s

All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the market research. If you’d like us to reserve a seat for you, please email us on sales@tvgenius.net

TV Genius shortlisted for Infovision Award

Tom Weiss — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:49:26 +0000

TV Genius has been shortlised for a Broadband World Forum Infovision award in the category Content, Entertainment, Applications & Services.

The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner Awards presentation evening at 2010 Broadband World Forum in October. The Broadband InfoVision Awards have long been established as the industry’s leading awards event celebrating excellence within the broadband marketplace.

You can read about others in the shortlist here.

Less is more for TV recommendations

Tom Weiss — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:07:02 +0000

There is a great interview with Sheena Iyengar on the BBC’s website at the moment:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009060l

You can read how we apply her research to TV Content Discovery on our white paper here:
http://www.tvgenius.net/resources/white-papers/recommended-viewing-approaches-promoting-ondemand-programming/

Want the World Cup but Not All the Documentaries

Matt Hall — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:46:04 +0000

The recent World Cup caused quite a furore but not just in the world of sport. The major sporting event had a massive impact on TV search results as people tried to find when the next game was on and on what channel.

However, in the mine field of options available to on-demand viewers they are inundated with results that aren’t even relevant. This is a major problem affecting content discovery platforms.

Getting the Right Choice

Having a wide choice of programmes is all well and good but an on-demand service also needs structure so that viewers can find what they want quickly and easily. The World Cup is a great example of a time-specific search that, due to the many different programmes about the World Cup, doesn’t always produce efficient results in searches.

Another example noticed recently is that of popular American import, Glee. The series finale has recently aired and most TV Search results will provide the latest episode as a first choice. In the case of dramas and series, offering a choice of catch-up material should be recommended.

With both of these issues it is about ensuring that users aren’t inundated with material so that choices can be refined and therefore more useful.

Come and visit us at IBC

Tom Weiss — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:54:31 +0000

TV Genius will be exhibiting at IBC again this year and are pleased to offer all of our colleagues and customers the free ticket to IBC together with a free 5 day travel pass for Amsterdam.

To sign up, please go to the IBC Registration page, select “TV Genius” from the drop down box, and enter the passcode 15457

On our stand, we’ll be demonstrating the latest deployments using our 3 Screen content discovery platform, will be hosting our usual Monday night party, and will also be unveiling our latest consumer research on European content discovery habits.

To book in a time to talk to us, please contact Matt Hall on sales@tvgenius.net

Twitter support, Google Sitemaps and More

guillermo.christen — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:50:40 +0000

We have just deployed a new release of the content discovery platform. The changes include:

Enhancements:

Improved formatting for Show Details to display an external channel Link if available.
Navigation in Show Details: links added to navigate to previous/next show on the same channel.
search engine optimizations for the EPG:
- Programme summaries are now search engine friendly.
- Support for Keyword injection in the EPG.
EPG navigation improvements: user can now navigate EPG to morning, afternoon, evening or night.
Improved thumbnail management and delivery.
New search option to include repeats within search results.
Users are no longer limited to 30 favourite channels.
Now support filtering by channel language on ‘all channels’
Twitter integration: search supports searching for top tweeted shows on TV today.

Bug fixes:

Fixed issue affecting searches that contained the ‘live’ flag.

TV Genius Selected as a Red Herring Top 100 Europe Tech Startup

Tom Weiss — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:49:05 +0000

Paris, France – Red Herring announced its Top 100 Award in recognition of the leading private companies from Europe, celebrating these startups’ innovations and technologies across their respective industries.

Red Herring’s Top 100 Europe list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work.

“Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. “After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed our list down from hundreds of candidates from across Europe to the Top 100 Winners. We believe TV Genius embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture. TV Genius should be proud of its accomplishment, as the competition was very strong.”

Red Herring’s editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their sector peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list a valuable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the most promising new business models in Europe.

BBC iPlayer Gets a Social Makeover

homejames — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:30:48 +0000

The award-winning BBC iPlayer has undergone a facelift that will see the service become more social and tailor recommendations to your viewing habits.

Currently in a trial version, the revamped iPlayer will allow users to log in using existing BBC login details, which will allow them to personalise their iPlayer experience. It is the latest development using IPTV technology to provide the best video on demand (VOD) services.

Another key feature of the facelift will be the aggregated content from broadcasters like 4OD, Demand Five and SeeSaw.

“It’s a complete social ecosystem”

The introduction of these links to other VOD platforms will be launched later in the year. It will mean that if someone is searching for a non-BBC programme, they will be directed to the relevant platform, unless it is from Sky Player.

The BBC’s Anthony Rose, who is chief technology officer for Project Canvas – a new online broadcast initiative currently under development – claimed that, “we spent more time designing [the new interface] than building it”, before claiming it is a “complete social ecosystem”.

This new version also includes an “adaptive bit-rate system” that will adjust video quality to the broadcasts.

By making the VOD platform more social and interactive for users, it will allow them to enjoy a greater service, personalised to their viewing habits and interests.

Google Launch TV Service for the Autumn

homejames — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:27:34 +0000

Well it has been over two months since we reported that rumours of a Google TV search platform were intensifying and now it appears that those rumours were indeed accurate.

On March 10th 2010 we posed the question, are Google about to join the TV search market? and last week (20th May 2010) that question was answered with a yes!

Google’s TV service will allow users to watch live television and search for shows and video on YouTube. It continues the growth of IPTV technology driven solutions for video on demand (VOD) on the television and online.

“Video should be consumed on the biggest, brightest, best screen”

Marrying the two platforms, i.e. live programmes with VOD material will give users more freedom to choose what they watch and when. This announcement by Google is inspired by their vision of providing quality programmes on the best screen possible. Rishi Chandra of Google, told the BBC:

“Video should be consumed on the biggest, brightest, best screen in your house – the television.”

One of the stumbling blocks discussed back in March was a lack of set-top boxes that support the Android software, needed to connect with Google. However, this appears to have been resolved.

The first TV’s will be produced by Sony and will be available in the autumn. This is the next step in the evolution.

TV Genius is a Red Herring Finalist

Tom Weiss — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:40:33 +0000

We are delighted to announce today that we have been selected as a finalist for Red Herring’s Europe 100 award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s most promising private technology ventures from the world European business region.

The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across Europe. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the actual track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list an invaluable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry.

“This year was especially difficult,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. “Despite the global economic situation, there were many great companies producing really innovative and amazing products that we had a difficult time narrowing the pool and selecting the finalists. TV Genius shows great promise therefore deserves to be among the Finalists. Now we’re faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring Europe award. We know that this year’s crop will grow into some amazing companies that are sure to go far.”

Finalists for the 2010 edition of the Red Herring 100 Europe award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the several months leading up to the announcement, hundreds of companies in the telecommunications, security, Web 2.0, software, hardware, biotech, and clean tech industries sent in their submissions to qualify for the award.

The Finalists are invited to present their winning strategies at the Red Herring Europe Conference in Paris, May 25-27, 2010. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on May 27 at the event.