Company to Publish TV Measurement Data Formats to Encourage Development of Next Generation Television Applications and Services, and Creates Analysis Partner Program with Leaders in Audience Measurement
IBC 2009
Hall 1 Stand C81
SAN FRANCISCO – OpenTV Corp. (NASDAQ:OPTV), a leading software and technology provider of advanced digital television solutions, announced that it will open its TV measurement platform by publishing, later this year, the format of key data points its software is able to measure on the set-top box. This open access will allow the developer community, data analysis partners and other service providers to integrate with OpenTV’s measurement solution more easily, and foster the creation of next generation set-top-box services with enhanced personalization features, such as addressable and interactive advertising, content addressability, and other value-added services.
In addition, OpenTV announced the creation of an Analysis Partner Program, which will offer operators a solution for accurately measuring viewer behavior on the set-top box with minimal change to existing infrastructure.
Initial participants in this program include some of the leaders in audience measurement: AdsVantage, Nielsen, Rentrak Corporation, and TNS. In combining OpenTV’s middleware expertise with the data analysis capabilities of experts in the field, OpenTV is enabling operators to drive new and higher advertising revenues, monitor quality of service issues, better manage their channel line-up and subscription tiering, as well as measure usage of service offerings such as PVR, VOD or interactive applications, all while respecting viewer privacy.
“By opening up our platform and extending it to third party solutions, we are taking a major step toward enriching the television experience and creating a uniform approach to measurement,” said Tracy Geist, SVP Business Development, OpenTV. “We’re not only enabling service providers to capture relevant information — especially on viewing behavior and PVR interactions — and giving them access to crucial reporting and analysis capabilities, but we’re enabling the developer community to create exciting new applications for next generation television, to make it more personalized and meaningful.”
OpenTV’s Measurement Solution is part of OpenTV’s Core2 middleware platform and can be integrated seamlessly with any of the various supported user interfaces, which results in a streamlined offering for operators that wish to capitalize on the wealth of detailed data available through the set-top box while fully protecting viewer privacy: the solution is flexible enough to allow collected click stream data to be anonymized either by storing only rollup data, or by applying privacy filtering at the time of data send-back. It also allows network operators to secure interfaces with third-parties while retaining their own access to data, and to comply with geography-specific regulations. Benefits of the solution include:
* New advertiser-based revenues. Second-by-second audience measurement allows advertisers to see how long viewers watch ads before zapping or fast forwarding. Operators can generate new revenues from advertisers by selling ad viewership reports.
* Higher advertising revenues from low viewership channels. Channels with less than two percent viewership are typically undervalued by advertisers because of the lack of accurate reporting by traditional audience measurement techniques. More accurate audience measurement of these channels can increase their value to advertisers and therefore increase the potential of the operator to derive revenues.
* Better management of channel lineup. Detailed viewership data across channels gives network operators the tools needed to negotiate with content providers more effectively by validating the content viewing assumptions that drive pricing decisions.
* Validation of existing services and introduction of new ones. Usage data on services such as PVR and VOD can validate — or challenge — assumptions about an offering’s appeal, revealing decisions on features and functionalities that can significantly increase an operator’s return on investment. When incorporated into a new feature rollout or pilot, detailed data can shape development and better ensure success.
* Measurement of interactive applications, including the user interface. Operators can understand in detail how users interact with the “face” of their service: the user interface and other interactive content, enabling them to easily identify areas for improvement.
* Monitoring and improving of quality of service. Detailed, second-by-second information about what occurs on the set-top box enables network operators to identify systemic problems and address them proactively, increasing customer satisfaction and reducing costly service calls and customer churn.
Features of OpenTV’s Measurement Solution will be on display at IBC 2009, Hall 1 Stand C81. For more information on OpenTV’s Measurement Solution or Analysis Partner Program, please contact measurement@opentv.com.
About OpenTV
OpenTV is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced digital television solutions dedicated to creating and delivering compelling viewing experiences to consumers of digital content worldwide. The company’s software has been integrated in more than 133 million devices around the world and enables advanced program guides, video-on-demand, personal video recording, interactive and addressable advertising and a variety of enhanced television applications. OpenTV’s campaign management solutions currently provide advertising services to more than 34 million cable subscribers across the United States representing more than 55 percent of the subscriber base of the top ten MSOs. For more information, please visit www.opentv.com.
