AirPlay To Wed Live Television with Mobile Gaming to Create New 'AirPlay TV' Experience
AirPlay To Wed Live Television with Mobile Gaming to Create New 'AirPlay TV' Experience
Company Announces $4 Million Investment From Redpoint, Qualcomm in Debut at National Association of Broadcasters' Futures Summit
MONTEREY, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- AirPlay announced today it will launch a new "AirPlay TV" experience this fall that has the power to transform millions of television viewers into active participants in live television programs. While they watch, viewers can use their cell phones as gaming devices to choose winners and losers in reality television programs, compete against contestants in game shows and even predict plays in football games and other sporting events.
Already millions of wireless customers use their handsets to participate in simple text message voting promotions. Last year, more than 40 million votes were sent by text message during a single season of American Idol, turning the program into a wireless interactive event. But AirPlay would allow these millions of "vote-by-phone" consumers the capability to play along with the live broadcast, even compete with their friends, family and the entire audience while they watch the live broadcast of the program.
"AirPlay can give any television viewer with a mobile phone the ability to go from the couch to the game show studio or even to the sidelines of a major broadcast sporting event and test his or her skills against friends, family or the world," said Morgan Guenther, CEO of AirPlay. "We're going to offer carriers, broadcasters and advertisers new opportunities to connect television with wireless devices and transform TV from a passive pastime to an engaging, competitive experience."
Utilizing the real-time wireless networks already accessed by over 200 million mobile handsets in today's television households, AirPlay has developed a patent-pending technology that will easily allow viewers to use their handsets as multiplayer gaming instruments for playing along in real-time with almost any broadcast television event.
The company is officially taking the wraps off its product lineup at the National Association of Broadcasters ("NAB") Futures Summit in Monterey today. The NAB Futures Summit is the annual venue for showcasing new technologies that broadcasters can utilize to grow their audience in a challenging home entertainment environment. AirPlay's games will offer broadcasters a means of connecting directly with viewers in a new and meaningful way.
AirPlay also announced that it has raised $4 million in funding from Silicon Valley stalwart Redpoint Ventures and wireless communication innovator Qualcomm.
AirPlay expects to launch its first content category -- AirPlay Sports -- in conjunction with the start of the professional and college football seasons this Fall. The AirPlay Sports experience will allow players to make live game and play predictions from their mobile phones and -- like popular fantasy sports -- compete directly amongst groups of friends for rewards and recognition. Throughout the live television broadcasts, AirPlay Sports competitors will receive real-time updates of their scores and ranking against other players.
Following the launch of AirPlay Sports, the company will create an entire platform of AirPlayTV events to include game and award shows, reality TV programming and other categories of real time televised entertainment. Content creators and broadcasters can easily integrate their programming into this platform and instantly create a more engaging experience for viewers. Integrating programming with AirPlay will not require content owners to make any new or incremental investments in technology or delivery infrastructure.
Consumers will be able to download the AirPlay software to their handsets directly from select wireless carriers or via the AirPlay website (www.airplaytv.com). Once downloaded to their handsets, consumers can view their own rolling schedule of live AirPlayTV events and create custom competitions among family members and friends. AirPlay fully produces the live synchronization between wireless device and live broadcast.
About AirPlay
AirPlay is the creator and producer of AirPlayTV, a new category of real time, multiplayer interactive entertainment that lets viewers use their cellphones to play along with some of their favorite television programs. AirPlay's games offer broadcasters a means of connecting directly with viewers in a meaningful way during live programs. Led by a dynamic team of experienced technology executives, AirPlay is backed by Qualcomm and Redpoint Ventures. For more information about the company, please go to www.airplaytv.com.
Source: AirPlay
CONTACT: Susan George of SutherlandGold Group, 866-262-7373, ext. 113,
or sgeorge@sutherlandgold.com, for AirPlay
Web site: http://www.airplaytv.com/
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