New Study Proves Consumer Demand for Interactive TV

Ensequence, the interactive television company, revealed the results of a survey that shows consumers are ready to change the
way they interact with their televisions in 2008. According to the survey, 72
percent of viewers indicated they are currently using their remote controls for
simple tasks such as finding favorite programs using the on-screen TV guide,
scheduling or selecting DVR recordings and for viewing content on-demand. Now
consumers are ready to take their television viewing experience a leap further
and they want more from their cable and satellite providers in 2008.

Viewers want advanced interactive television functionality across every genre
of programming and advertising:

72 percent of those who watch reality TV shows want to interact with those
shows

65 percent of those who watch sporting events on TV want to interact with
those events

66 percent of viewers want to interact with commercial advertising

50 percent of those who watch drama TV shows indicated that they would be interested
in interacting with those shows

“The TV has always been the focal point of every home. As consumers spend big
money to upgrade their TVs, they want to be able to do more with the
programming and advertising that they watch,” said Dalen Harrison, CEO,
Ensequence. “This study confirms that consumers have higher expectations and
want to vote for contestants, get additional product information during
commercials, purchase tickets for live events or get scores and statistics
during sporting events – all using their remote controls.”

Interactive television has been anticipated for a long time, and Ensequence is
making it a reality today. Just last year, Ensequence developed an application
for Bravo’s popular series, “Top Chef 3 Miami,” which allowed viewers to use
their remote control to vote for their favorite contestants or download recipes
among other interactive features. For the Spike TV Video Game Awards in
December, more than 20 million satellite viewers were able to use their remote
controls to access exclusive content and unlock cheat codes for their favorite
video games.

The most forward-thinking advertisers are using interactive TV to their
advantage as well. Ensequence launched a Reebok interactive television
advertising campaign that allowed consumers to make purchases directly through
their remote controls, which was a first for the
United States market. As DVR
penetration increases, advertisers are actively searching for new ways to
engage consumers. Nike’s advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy, worked with
Ensequence to create a fully immersive branded experience for the launch of the
Nike Zoom shoe. They used the DVR to deliver 22 minutes of interactive
television content to consumers and enabled consumers to watch exclusive video,
get customized retail locations and access in-depth product information.