Microsoft Mediaroom Prizewinners
Release date: October, 2009
Pushbutton took the second place prize in a worldwide Mediaroom developers competition organised by Microsoft. The aim of the competition was to find the best app to run on Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV platform – the IPTV platform used by the BT Vision service in the UK and by many telcos worldwide.
The London-based interactive TV specialist was the only UK company to make the final stage of the competition in which the finalists presented their apps at the Microsoft Mediaroom Developers Forum in San Jose this week.
The second place position carries a cash prize of $10,000 and an opportunity for Pushbutton to showcase its application on Microsoft stands at international trade fairs and conferences.
Pushbutton’s app is called ‘Time Capsules’ and it presents IPTV users with a unique navigational tool for exploring time-based video content. It can be used to present archive material of historic events, or as a time-stamped record of a live and unfolding event such as the Olympic Games, or a major breaking news story.
“The beauty of our app and the reason it got so far is its flexibility, which we demonstrated by showing how it could be used in everything from soap catch-up to documentary series,” said Paula Byrne, Pushbutton Managing Director.
Pushbutton is well known for its ‘red button’ applications, having recently created red button games for CBeebies and, in the past, developed applications for top ITV shows, including Coronation Street and The X Factor. More recently, it has invested heavily in growing its design and development expertise in the new, Internet-based TV technologies such as ‘Widgets’ and IPTV.
“I am delighted with our success in this competition. It puts Pushbutton in poll position in Europe as the first company you should talk to if you want to prepare your content or property for the new world of Internet-based television. Whether it’s via an IPTV service like Microsoft Mediaroom, or on one of the new ‘Widget’ opportunities, Net TV is coming and it is coming fast. Our success in San Jose shows that we are ready and able to help our partners prosper in the new world order.”