Mobile--the new interactive channel

Interactive TV--the idea that consumers will interact with TV programming--isn't a new idea, but mobile devices have certainly put a new twist on the concept. When I first heard about interactive TV in the late 90s, it was dominated by the cable companies and the interactivity occurred in set-top boxes and remote controls. Today the real interactive TV is occurring between the TV show and the consumer, but the device of choice isn't a remote control--it's a mobile phone communicating via text messaging.

Media companies and TV programmers are building interactivity into their TV programs as they are being developed. There is a niche business that has evolved for firms that help the media connect with consumers using the mobile phone. Just yesterday I spoke with Doug Busk, vice president of industry relations at SinglePoint, an aggregator that helps broadcasters and media firms develop interactive campaigns. SinglePoint was created after Wireless Services Corp. acquired Mobile Media North America in August 2006.

Busk says that there are enormous possibilities for interactive campaigns and broadcasters, and others are anxious to exploit the new world of "participation TV." I told Busk I was skeptical about the long-term potential of a company that positions itself as an aggregator and develops a business around being the middleman between the carriers and the media firms. I noted that content aggregators--companies that brought together mobile entertainment content and packaged it for mobile carriers--were booming about four years ago but are now seeing their business shrink as wireless carriers strike more deals directly with the big content firms.

But Busk says that he doesn't see campaign aggregators meeting the same fate. "We are the cartilage between the bones. You have to have someone in the middle, negotiating between the two players. If not, you will not see the same level of creativity with campaigns that we see today."

It will be interesting to see how this new area of campaign management and participation TV shakes out. For now SinglePoint is growing its business by teaming with key players such as the Mobile Interactive Group and building its relationship with broadcasters and other media firms. - Sue