or


[04/18/06 - 12:00 AM]
Viewers Becoming Increasingly More Interactive with NBC Universal Programming

[via press release from NBC Universal Television Studio]

VIEWERS BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE INTERACTIVE WITH NBC UNIVERSAL PROGRAMMING

"Deal Or No Deal" Receives Over 30 Million Total Votes This Year

NEW YORK -- April 18, 2006 -- Viewers are becoming increasingly more interactive with NBC Universal programming, from voting for their favorite Project Runway contestant on Bravo to guessing the lucky suitcase on NBC's "Deal or No Deal."

Viewers of "Deal or No Deal" are given the opportunity to win $10,000 by playing the "Lucky Case Game" via text messaging on their cell phones or by logging on to NBC.com. Since its return to NBC in March, the show has generated over 30 Million total Short Messaging Service (SMS) and online votes.

"Interactive television is clearly resonating with our audience," said Darren Feher, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, NBC Universal. "It is a powerful tool, which not only brings value to the viewers, who are much more engaged in the programming, but also the advertisers who are seeking their attention."

"For the past decade, NBC has been a leading innovator of interactive services to enhance its programming for viewers," said Jon Dakss, Director of iTV Product Development, NBC Universal. "You will be seeing a lot more interactivity across all of our networks, across multiple platforms, in the coming year."

Time Warner Cable and BrightHouse Networks digital cable subscribers are able to interact with Bravo's new hit reality series "Top Chef" using their remote controls. Throughout each episode, viewers are prompted to answer amusing polls about food and which chef they want to send home. Additionally, viewers are given the unique chance to receive text messages during the program from the various cast members themselves. Based on its success with fans, NBC's "The Apprentice" is now offering a similar service for viewers.

"We are seeing a real interest from our affiliates on rolling out more interactive services," said Jean-Briac Perrette, Senior Vice President, New Media and Chief Financial Officer, NBC Universal Cable. "We will continue to explore unique and innovative ways for them to deliver a more robust television experience to their customers."

During the March 8th finale of Project Runway, viewers could interact through their cell phones, as well as online, answering show-related questions. The results were displayed throughout the episode. All participants were automatically qualified to be randomly selected to win one of ten video iPods. The show yielded Bravo's highest ratings to date, with BravoTV.com receiving a record 5 million page views and 225,000 unique visitors. Over 100,000 votes were received across web and SMS.

During CNBC's Suze Orman show, viewers had the opportunity to send text messages via their cell phones to the broadcast. These viewer messages appeared in a crawl at the bottom of the screen throughout the show. This marks the first time a mainstream network and program adopted this format in the US.

Interactivity was also a popular feature for viewers of the Olympics. For the first time in the US, NBC offered an immersive interactive application for the Olympics across three major cable and satellite providers simultaneously: DIRECTV, DISH Network and Time Warner Cable. The service allowed viewers to access medal counts, news and athlete bios. DIRECTV recorded one million unique households that used the 2006 Winter Olympic interactive features available through the DIRECTV Sports mix channel, with more than four million individual interactions. This averaged to approximately 4.5 customer interactions per DIRECTV household. Time Warner Cable reported a 23% average usage rate of iTV among the 700,000 subscriber homes where this application was available. In Green Bay Wisconsin alone, 45% of Time Warner subscriber's used the interactive application.





  [april 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· APPRENTICE, THE (NBC)
· DEAL OR NO DEAL (CNBC)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)





[03/13/25 - 01:30 PM]
NBC Orders "Stumble" Comedy Pilot
The mockumentary project is about the ridiculously high stakes competitive world of junior college cheer.

[03/13/25 - 12:06 PM]
Video: Apple Original Films Unveils the "F1" Movie Trailer
The film stars Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Kim Bodnia.

[03/13/25 - 12:02 PM]
ABC News' "20/20" Limited Series "Bad Romance" Returns for Second Season, Tuesday, March 25, on ABC and Next Day on Hulu
Ryan Smith hosts the eight-episode series that delves into the harrowing stories of individuals who lost their lives at the hands of those who once vowed to love them forever and examines the devastating consequences of obsession and manipulation, exposing the dark side of love.

[03/13/25 - 10:29 AM]
Mother Knows Best Is Put to the Test in OWN's New Love & Relationship Series "#Somebody's Son"
The series follows three charming, single and successful men as they embark on a high stakes search for true love, looking for a lasting partner amongst a group of exceptional single women.

[03/13/25 - 10:19 AM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Miami Heat to Host Detroit Pistons on March 19
It replaces the previously scheduled New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves matchup.

[03/13/25 - 10:05 AM]
Daniel Radcliffe Cast in NBC's Tracy Morgan Comedy Pilot
Radcliffe plays Arthur Tobin, an award-winning filmmaker who moves into Reggie's (Tracy Morgan) mansion to film an immersive documentary about the former star running back.

[03/13/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Black Mirror" Season 7 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Lose your mind. Lose your reality. The Emmy Award winning series returns with six new stories. Nothing is as it seems.

[03/13/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Starz Sets June 6 Return for "BMF" Season Four and Teases "WTF Happened in Mexico?"
The announcement comes with a new action-packed teaser showcasing life-and-death stakes as the Flenory brothers expand their business and confirms the fourth season will explore the fallout from a chaotic and relationship-altering mission in Mexico.

[03/13/25 - 09:00 AM]
Cast and Date Announcement: Hulu's "Got to Get Out"
Twenty people under one roof, $1 million dollars in prizes up for grabs. To win it, they've GOT TO GET OUT... but that's much easier said than done.

[03/13/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases a Sneak Peek at the Highly Anticipated New Season of "Mama June: Family Crisis"
This season on "Mama June: Family Crisis," June fights for custody of Kaitlyn after Anna's tragic loss.

[03/13/25 - 08:01 AM]
TNT Sports to Premiere "Dance of Destiny: A Guide to Winning the Men's Basketball Tournament", Tuesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. ET on truTV
The hour-long documentary will delve into the thrilling and unpredictable men's college basketball tournament and how some of the best head coaches across the country are able to navigate the chaos of the survive-and-advance event, while inspiring their players through it all.

[03/13/25 - 08:00 AM]
A24's "Babygirl" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max April 25
A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.

[03/13/25 - 08:00 AM]
Showtime Original Series "Dexter: Resurrection" Adds Guest Star David Dastmalchian
Dastmalchian will guest star in the role of Gareth.

[03/13/25 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "The Gardener" - Release Date Announced - Netflix
Elmer's mother used his lack of feelings to turn him into a hitman. But when he falls for his next victim, their cover as calm local gardeners wavers.

[03/13/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "North of North" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Determined to forge her own path in her small Arctic town, Siaja, a newly single young mom, takes bold risks in her career and love life.