Spooks won best game and entertainment as well as the jury grand prix in the International ITV Awards announced in Cannes.
The interactive spying game associated with the BBC drama series Spooks has already received a BAFTA award. It demonstrates a successful approach to bringing interactivity to drama on television.
Dawn Airey, managing director of Sky Networks, and one of the keynote speakers at Miptv and Milia, is a big believer in the potential of interactive drama. In Broadcast magazine she writes that “the producer that gets it right will have revolutionised not only the medium of television but the art of storytelling”.
Games represent one solution to the problem of non-linear narrative. According to Airey, “It will not be long before the interactive drama becomes commonplace on our screens. The technology to supply it is not far away, and viewers brought up on interactive media will increasingly demand it.”
AFDESI Awards
Organised by AFDESI, the French association for interactive television, the International ITV Awards were presented at a ceremony in Cannes during the Miptv and Milia convention. With 75 entries, countries recognised in this third year of the awards included England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and South Africa. Mediaset in Italy received the AFDESI grand prix.
The award for best enhanced television programme and the selection committee special prize went to Stoneroos of the Netherlands for C-Majeur Interactive, an interactive music programme.
Sky Interactive received the award for best innovation with its Sky Active service, while Sky Bet was recognised as best betting and gambling service.
The award for best advertising service went to Multichoice of South Africa for a campaign for the BMW 1 series.
Zappware’s T-Government application was recognised as best stand alone service, while Iwedia was awarded best design and graphics for Noos Zone and Visiware was recognised for best technology.
Emmy Awards
The Acadamy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced a call for entries for the outstanding achievement in interactive television awards. Entries are open to original interactive television programming content, applications or services deployed domestically, that is in the United States, in the year to the end of May.