Uncategorized

Jun

11

Listening is the Key

It all begins with a conversation, usually because someone has told someone else that they should talk to Pushbutton. We talk to and work with people from the biggest media companies, and we help them to create user-focused, interactive solutions.

We speak the language of TV production, user experience and commercial imperatives. We are a deeply technical as well as a strongly creative company, but our strongest focus is always on our clients objectives, and we try to contain our natural exuberance for the technical and creative tools we employ. Above all, we are always listening and learning, and we believe understanding our clients needs is the key to successful development.

Our experience spans interactive TV, Yahoo TV Widgets, IPTV, interactive advertising, Flash and Microsoft Mediaroom, website design and build. This breadth of knowledge helps us navigate clients through the bewildering maze of interactive opportunities that confront them.

Take a look at our client list.

User Interface (UI) Design

We love it. To understand how a great user interface (UI) can work, you need to develop a deep understanding of the user and the end technology on which the UI will be deployed. We create UI’s that are easy to use, visually rich, and performant. We design interfaces for touch screens, remote controls, pointers, and of course PCs and Macs.

Have a browse through our work.

Production

Our in-house team of designers and developers work collaboratively on projects, and work with a myriad of languages, platforms and environments.

Take a look at our blog to get a better feel for our skills.

Jun

11

A Growing Company

From Sky and ITV red button services to cross platform multi-media services for LOVEFiLM, we’ve been growing our business and our ideas over the last eight years.

2005 and 2006 – Guinness, Kodak, Nat Geo channel, Sky and ITV

Pushbutton was created in 2005 by Paula Byrne and James Cumberbatch and almost immediately wins national acclaim with Kodak and Guinness interactive advertisements on Sky plus content management for ITVs World Cup interactive coverage and as well as National Geographic’s red button service going live in 2006.

2007 – Disney channel goes interactive

Two events dominated 2007 for Pushbutton – the launch of an interactive portal for Disney Channel UK, and relocation of the company to a London base.

2008 – Turner and ESPN join client list

The launch of an interactive portal for Turner’s children’s channels went live in the UK, and a broadband portal for ESPN 360 Europe (built in partnership with Entriq).

Pushbutton developed two TV-based slot machines for Sky Bet. Later in the year, work started on a major project to design and build an IPTV-based betting platform for a leading UK bookmaker.

2009 – the Microsoft prize guys

Pushbutton’s intensive research and development into new platforms for TV interactivity starts to pay off – with a second place prize in Microsoft’s global search for an app to run on its Mediaroom TV platform.

2010 – Apps for connected devices, Sony, LOVEFiLM and Deutsch Telekom

Deutsch Telekom awarded Pushbutton a prize in its search for a Mediaroom app, LOVEFiLM selected Pushbutton as development partner. Pushbutton continued to invest in market research and development for connected devices. The company moved offices with further expansion of

2011 – LOVEFiLM on yet more platforms, own products launched, Amazon acquisition.

In one of our busiest years, Pushbutton continue working with LOVEFiLM, launching another TV app for Orio and Sony Bravia (DE, UK) as well as the updated iPad app. In February, the first interactive online game went live for Camelot and more are in the design process. In March, the pbRemote and pbTV apps were shown at the IPTV World Forum to great acclaim and are now being rolled out to Telcos across the globe. In August Push Button Holdings Ltd. was acquired by Amazon.

Apr

28

The Early Days

Pushbutton was founded in 2002 by the former senior BSkyB executive, Paula Byrne.

The company started out purely as an interactive television consultancy, but soon moved to offer full design, build and delivery of services. Pushbutton is now one of the UK’s best-known brands in digital media design and development. Having evolved with the technical and cultural landscape since its launch in 2002, Pushbutton now provides its clients with solutions for IPTV, content management, websites, and of course satellite-based interactive television.

The early days…

Prior to setting up Pushbutton, Paula Byrne led the team responsible for delivering all interactive applications and services on the world’s first satellite-delivered interactive television platform, Open…. (now Sky Active). This experience, and her background as one of the early pioneers of interactive television, was vital in winning Pushbutton’s first major contract with the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV.

In 2004, James Cumberbatch joined Paula Byrne as Development Director, and became a co-owner of the company. Between 2004 and 2007 Pushbutton designed and built interactively enhanced television services for all of ITV’s biggest shows, including The X Factor, Coronation Street, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Emmerdale, This Morning, The World Cup and many more. Late in 2004 an iTV design studio was opened in Brighton, Sussex, to help support the steadily growing project throughput.

Pushbutton’s commitment to delivering the most complex propositions on time and on budget has always commanded great client loyalty; and enabled the company to punch above its weight in terms of large competitive tender contract wins from companies like Diageo, National Geographic Channel, Kodak, Sky and Disney. Building on this success, and working closely with key clients, the company has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible creatively, technically and commercially in interactive television.

Apr

28

The Team

Pushbutton’s leadership team comprises Paula Byrne, Managing Director, and James Cumberbatch, Director of Interactive Development.

Together they have built one of the most respected and innovative digital agency’s operating in the UK and overseas markets.

Paula Byrne’s marketing and senior management background, combined with James Cumberbatch’s technical and creative ability, makes a formidable partnership that has enabled the duo to build a successful company together.

Byrne and Cumberbatch have strengthened the company by appointing full time specialists with design and development skills in a many key areas for existing and emerging platforms. The main development studio is based in Farringdon, London, EC1.

Pushbutton specialises in the design and build of interactive digital content and services for existing and emerging platforms. Major companies who have chosen to work with Pushbutton include the BBC, ITV, Disney Channel, Diageo, Microsoft, Fox Network (Australia), Virgin Media and Turner Networks. Pushbutton are official digital partners of LOVEFiLM and have been recently acquired by Amazon.