BSkyB has revealed that it is working on plans that could significantly simplify the delivery of mass market interactive television services.
The UK satellite television operator is planning to expand the facilities for internet style services to extend the use of interactive television in the electronic society.
BSkyB has revealed that it is working on plans that could significantly simplify the delivery of mass market interactive television services.
The UK satellite television operator is planning to expand the facilities for internet style services to extend the use of interactive television in the electronic society.
The news follows shortly after the announcement that Sky is to launch a free-to-air satellite service. Informitv understands that the plans have the backing of Sky’s Chief Executive, James Murdoch, and further announcements are expected in coming months.
Ian Valentine, Technical Alliances Director for Sky Interactive, was speaking at the Interactive TV Forum in London organised by Osney Media.
He said that it was necessary to move away from the pre-conception that the internet does not work on television. It was just evident that the web does not necessarily work on television.
Earlier in the day, Will Harding, Sky Interactive’s Commercial Director, conceded that the market had changed considerably since the launch of the Open…. walled garden service in 1999. Back then, the emphasis had been on the retail opportunity. Subsequently, much of the focus has moved to enhanced television, extending the viewing experience.
Ian Valentine argued that the market for interactive television would never mature while all the talk was about enhanced television. He painted a picture of a more internet-centric service, providing easy to use electronic point of service business applications.
These could include URL based access as on the web, or the use of numeric short codes as employed by mobile telephone operators, together with web browser style features such as favourites, history and search facilities.
He suggested that basic level access will be free for providers of content and services, while the platform operator will still receive some access revenues for premium services.
“It mustn’t cost you much more than doing a web site, including the build, testing, and deployment,” said Ian Valentine of Sky Interactive.
Ian Valentine was largely responsible for bringing the WTVML specification to the Sky platform. This specifies a lightweight micro-browser for interactive TV applications using WML, an XML mark-up language based on the WAP Forum protocol originally developed for mobile telephones.
WTVML has now been accepted as a published specification by ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
Sky has promoted the use of the WTVML browser for use in interactive advertising, but some observers have suggested that it restricts creativity.
Ian Valentine revealed that Sky are planning a new e-business compatible proposition which provides simplified connections, automated testing and rapid development tools.
Content would not be organised by the broadcaster or by Sky but by the individual provider, enabling potentially thousands of interactive services.
Recognising that previous attempts to provide the web on television had largely failed, Ian was asked what he believed was different this time around. He conceded that if people simply try to replicate a web service it will fail. He suggested that Sky was trying to create an environment where standards, tools and easy commercial arrangements exist. This would allow an incremental spend on the construction of web site to enable a service suitable for the television environment.
Informitv asked Ian whether content and service providers will find it easier to deal with the operator and whether some of the current platform restrictions, such as the cost and limited throughput of the return path, will be addressed. The response came in a single word: ‘Yes’.