Hong Kong (S.A.R.)

Cross-Media' Interactive Television

By Robert Chua

In past year, the Internet has undergone a series of technological advancements that have made it an even more attractive alternative. 80 years after its birth TV still airs passive programs similar to those it screened when it first started. It is yet to completely re-invent itself, and continues to air mostly "passive" programs. Only recently are we getting some "interactive" television programs which use IVR, SMS and/or Set-Top-Boxes to interact. Other than the voting on "American Idol" other shows we are now seeing a lot these days are Participation TV or Call TV shows. But mind you, they are not 'cross-media ' interactive.

I would show you how our "cross-media" Interactive TV Channel (TIC) looks like with samples of some of the programs that currently air in Hong Kong. The programs that air on this channel are specifically created to combat traditional television and its "Passive" programs, which are losing its viewers to the Internet, especially in the younger age groups. Only "Cross-Media" Interactive Television can prevent this erosion of viewers. When a "passive TV Channel" viewer switches off the TV and moves to the Internet, the "passive TV" Channels would have lost its viewers as they are "out of its viewing space". But for "Cross-Media" Interactive Channel, when its viewers move to the Internet that viewer is still "within its viewing space" because the TV show can be viewed and interact (e.g. sending messages or vote) over the Internet. Currently TIC is a "general entertainment" channel with "live" TV Shows with "SMS" TV Games filling up the 24-hour schedule. In a few years time such "cross-media" interactive TV programs and channels will have be come the 'norm' in the TV industry. But the TIC brand has the advantage of being the first in the world to have created, developed and implemented a "cross media" interactive TV platform.

Hong Kong TV viewers had never seen or participated in a "cross-media" interactive TV show, or played a SMS TV Game before TIC was introduced to HK. Even today, TIC has more "passive" viewers than "interactive" viewers, because older folks in HK do not use SMS or Internet. In HK voice call s are very cheap or rather "free" with unlimited number of calls. This is very different to China, where young and old alike know how to use SMS resulting in over 1.1 billions SMS a day. The SMS Greeting Messages in China during the Chinese New Year clocked in at over 1.3 billion SMS, and in Philippines for Valentine s Day, over 20 million SMS were sent. Anyone having watched or taken part in TIC's "cross-media" interactive TV "live" shows will tell you that TV viewing will never be the same again.