Friday, March 1, 2002
The NIEMEYER REVIEW is a free weekly newsletter on interactive TV and enhanced TV. Each week's newsletter features an article focusing on a specific subject, emphasizing analysis and including insights from key industry participants. To subscribe, unsubscribe or modify your subscription, click here. Interactive TV Gets An Emmy by Bill Niemeyer (News you will probably read for the first time here...) In a landmark moment for ITV, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) has approved the awarding of an Emmy for interactive television. Titled "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television Programming," the first ITV Emmy will be given out as part of this year's awards in September. The details on entry and awards process will be revealed at the formal announcement hosted by the ATAS Interactive Media Peer Group on March 14 in Beverly Hills. (The entry deadline will probably be coming up quickly given that the entry process is already underway for the main body of Emmy awards. For those, the final entry deadline is April 26 (see http://www.emmys.com/awards/).) The rules for the ITV award have already been included within the overall Emmys rules posted at http://www.emmys.com/downloads/images/2002rules.pdf The award will be given "to the production company that is directly involved with and principally responsible for the recognized interactive program." The entry must be "deployed on a national technological platform" and the "original interactive content must engage the viewer synchronously or in a manner that is integrally related to the content of a specific television program." Entrants need not be members of ATAS (re: joining - see sidebar). It will be a juried award, rather than one voted on by the Interactive Media Peer Group membership. This is likely partly due to the process of judging ITV shows that may require a variety of hardware platforms to fully experience. However, initial entry submissions will be made via video tape and the rules do not appear to preclude entries that cannot be judged in their "native format." Most Emmy awards are based on voting by each peer group membership (i.e. writers vote for writing awards). Some are juried awards, such as the "Engineering Development" Emmy. The "Best Program" awards are voted on by the entire ATAS membership. A "Blue Ribbon Panel" of Interactive Media Peer Group members will review the submissions and recommend the granting of one, more than one or no awards. Panel recommendations are ratified by the ATAS Board of Governors. The work to gain approval for an Emmy for interactive television was undertaken by members of the ATAS Interactive Media Peer Group. Leading the effort were peer group co-Governors Shawn Hardin (formerly Chief Product Officer at NBCi) and Chris Swain (VP of Production at Spiderdance) and peer group Awards Committee Chair Brian Hurst (CEO, The Opportunity Management Company). (Much congratulations to all those who worked to establish the Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television Programming." It's great news for ITV. It will provide an important platform for the ITV community to expose the rest of the television industry to the best of the many excellent interactive television programs produced each year. And it will honor the pioneering work of those who produce them.)	ATAS Membership Has Its Privileges (like voting for The Sopranos - you betta not fuggettaboudit) The Interactive Media Peer Group of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences may be looking for you! They are encouraging eligible members of the ITV industry to join up. If you qualify, it's an excellent way to support interactive TV within the context of the overall television community. (I answered the call and became a member.) Plus, you get to vote for the best program awards, so Emmy night will take on an additional personal significance. Probably should hide how you voted from your significant other (Will & Grace! No, Friends! No, Will & Grace!). For more information on joining see the ATAS membership page and peer group eligibility requirements.
Upcoming ITV/ETV Events CTAM Digital Conference - 3/5-8 - Los Angeles Game Developer's Conference - 3/19-23 - San Jose NAB - 4/6-11 - Las Vegas ATV Forum - ATV W3: What Works & Why - 4/24-25 - Los Angeles Carmel Group - Satellite Entertainment 2002: TV & Radio from Space - 4/24-25 - Carmel NCTA Cable 2002 - 5/5-8 - New Orleans	TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR MODIFY YOUR SUBSCRIPTION - SEE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE CONTACT US CENTRIMEDIA WEB SITE Legal and Privacy Information Centrimedia respects your privacy and does not share or sell our subscriber list to third parties. Copyright © 2002 Centrimedia - All Rights Reserved.
ITV/ETV Jobs AFI’S eTV LAB IS HIRING! Become a part of the eTV community’s most high-profile eTV production environment. Explore the future of interactive storytelling and next generation TV production. EVENTS & OUTREACH MANAGER - Plan all events, as well as marketing, promotion, recruitment, and outreach activities for the eTV Lab and Workshop. (full time) CONSULTANT – Full time temporary beginning approx. 5/15/02 for approx. three months. Must have strong contacts and existing relationships in eTV industry. ADMIN ASST - Support AFI Enhanced TV Director and staff in all office and administrative needs. (part time) Resumes to: Marcia Zellers, Director of Enhanced TV, mzellers@AFI.com (please mention you saw this in the Niemeyer Review)