Integra5 App to Add Social Media Functions to TV

Integra5 Inc. has announced the first in a series of applications to let operators add real-time communications and community features to their TV services, in an effort to evolve traditional video services well beyond one-way program delivery to the home.

The first package is due out early next year, combining PCs and mobile phones with in-home TVs. MediaFriends TV Chat lets users invite members of online buddy lists to join a group chat on TV and participate in the discussion using SMS text messages sent from their mobile phones.

News of the social media applications comes at a critical stretch in the evolution of TV services. Operators are looking to enhance and differentiate their offerings in the direction of the quad play by making them more robust in functionality. Drawing other devices into this communications picture portends to make TV stickier through interactivity.

The company’s platform already delivers so-called “blended services” by enabling TV-screen display of caller ID.

With the first application, users can create and manage buddy lists on their PC, which they can then access on TV, according to the vendor. Once done, they can use their remote control to invite individuals or groups to watch TV programming together. Buddies can accept or decline the invitation.

The package lets users “share” TV programming. If buddies accept the invite, Integra5 claims, their TVs automatically tune to that channel, with a live group chat visible on the screen. Viewers can chat by sending text messages via mobile phone to the number shown on the chat banner.

"Our i5 CSP, which embraces the open Web with a standards-based architecture, enables operators to consistently meet subscribers' rapidly changing media consumption behavior,” said Meredith Flynn-Ripley, CEO of Integra5, in prepared comments. That’s accomplished by “quickly and easily layering on new communications applications across TVs, PCs, and mobile and landline phones with no new equipment or software required within the home."

Integra5 claims its i5 CSP has been chosen by more than 30 service providers worldwide and scales to millions of subscribers, adding it requires no truck rolls or in-home equipment. It works in cable, IPTV, and hybrid video and telephony networks.

The vendor claims future MediaFriends applications will incorporate additional social media capabilities, such as: TV Chat invitations that reach PCs and mobile phones; advanced personalization features; presence, so that users can see who is watching a TV program; and integration with social networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace and others.

Integra5 did not provide pricing for the initial package.

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