ICTV Brings Web to the TV

ICTV at TelcoTV this week is demonstrating a new headend-based solution that allows Web content to be displayed on TVs.

For service providers, this solution, dubbed “Active Channels”, offers the ability to offer both traditional and Web-based content over the TV, says ICTV CEO Jeff Miller. For programmers it offers the ability to code content once and deliver it over multiple network types, he says, explaining that ICTV translates HTML, Flash or whatever content for display on TVs.

He adds that the Web content banner ads are retained in the TV version of Web content, explaining that advertisers are attracted to the idea of putting their interactive, click-to-respond ads on TV.

This new ICTV platform has been deployed to 700,000 customers both on the IPTV and cable sides using a variety of business models, Miller says. Sometimes content providers are even buying the gear and bringing it to service providers, he adds.

About 600,000 of those IPTV subscribers are customers of just one Asian service provider, which ICTV will announce the name of in January. That service provider is using the ICTV product to allow customers to do such things as order theater tickets and even reserve seats using a Web-like interface via the TV.

Meanwhile, ICTV has built application for Comcast that allows users to list to their RealNetwork’s Rhapsody play lists over the TV. Comcast is not offering the service, but is considering it, Miller says.

“We’re also engaged with the top three [telcos] today, but nothing announced and nothing deployed,” Miller adds.

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