STORM™ HITS MIPTV WITH MORE POWER
Europe’s largest mass interactive communications platform showcases new capabilities Stand G3.01, MIPTV, 30th March - 3rd April, Cannes
23 March 2009
STORM from Content Guru returns to Cannes with a series of new interactive TV and viewer participation capabilities. The Content Guru team has secured new partnerships with industry specialists, exploiting the platform’s vast capacity and converged services to offer exciting new possibilities to broadcasters, producers and format designers.
Viewer participation services now hosted on STORM include mass voting, via phone, mobile, SMS or red button, competition entry management, and real-time opinion polling. STORM has also hosted donation collection services for high profile fundraisers such as SoccerAid 2008 for UNICEF, BBC Children In Need and Comic Relief, again for the BBC.
"Compliance and capacity are the big issues for viewer participation," comments Martin Taylor, Director for Content Guru. "STORM offers the automated intelligence needed to ensure viewers can participate with confidence, building trust between the audience and the programme, and protecting vital new revenue streams."
For phone voting, STORM allows tight control of time slots. Calls made before or after the voting window are not counted, and callers are advised that their vote has not been registered, and that they have not been charged. The system was used for a mass vote for S4C's Can i Gymru (Song For Wales) event.
Sky News has also used STORM to pioneer a real-time opinion polling system developed by Clickvision. With the Perception Panel, viewers can use their mobile phones to register their support or opposition to a proposition as it is discussed during a news feature. On-screen bar charts - green for Agree, red for Disagree - move up and down as the debate unfolds.
"Viewers get a real sense of involvement and feel as though they are helping to make the news," says Martin Taylor. "The technology requires rapid and complex interactions between the platform managing the call traffic, and the systems delivering the results to air in real time.
"STORM’s capacity and processing power provides the speed and stability needed to make this kind of compelling participation possible."
Content Guru is also developing multi-channel customer relationship management campaigns for organisations such as the direct insurer MORE TH>N, the UK National Rail Enquiry Service and a leading international utility company. Golfer Justin Rose also selected STORM as the hosting platform for his new website and mobile fan communication programme.
Says Martin Taylor: "STORM is the first platform of its kind to offer true convergence of mobile, IP and fixed line channels. Organisations can operate communication strategies that blend SMS, MMS, fixed line voice, Voice-over-IP, mobile video and mobile Internet, all hosted on a single, stable platform.
"STORM offers the capacity, the stability and the intelligence to make today’s multi-channel, multimedium campaigns a practical and affordable reality."
For further information call +[44] (0)1344 852 350 or text Guru to 66663.
