BCM launching Clickable TV in Montgomery on Fox, NBC (video)

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The beta testing is over: BCM (formerly known as BackChannelMedia) has officially launched Clickable TV in Montgomery, AL. Raycom Media’s WSFA-TV 12 (NBC) and Woods Communications Corporation’s WCOV-TV 20 (Fox) are participating in the launch to Knology digital HD cable subscribers in the market. BCM, Knology, WSFA and WCOV will collaborate to promote and introduce this service during Q1. Clickable TV is the first of several products and services that will be announced by BCM this year. Take a look at the TV commercial running in Alabama on the link.  Click the tab “watch the video”.


When a viewer sees a Clickable Moment icon appear on their television screen, indicating the content is “clickable”, they are able to use the “Select” button on their remote to forward or “bookmark” the content from TV to their preferred e-mail and a personal Web page. The viewer is automatically sent a customized link connecting them directly to the specific website and information they have requested from television without ever interrupting their viewing experience. Clickable TV is free of charge to viewers, requires no additional product installation and uses the existing remote control in viewer homes.

Clickable TV is an Enhanced Television Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) application that offers cable operators new revenue potential from TV content and advertising sources that include local ad sales, cable networks and local broadcasters. EBIF is the future of interactive TV on both Cable and Broadcast stations and is among the most versatile standards for interactive applications, working with newer and legacy set top boxes.

WSFA will participate in the product’s launch starting in January, enabling portions of their local programming and ads to be interactive—or “clickable”. “Clickable TV provides our viewers with a new, creative way to interact with our programming and commercials,” said Ken Selvaggi, WSFA GM. “For Montgomery advertisers, we are introducing a two-way method of communication for the first time, and all it takes is a single click.”

“Clickable TV will allow Knology digital subscribers to request and obtain additional information on a products and services broadcasted on WCOV,” according to David Woods, President of WCOV. “We are pleased to be on the leading edge of this new technology.”

RBR-TVBR asked Daniel Hassan, Chairman and CEO of BCM: What advertisers are already participating and what other stations/markets might be online for rollouts this year? How does this help TV stations gain more revenues through this better offering to advertisers?”

“With this launch BCM has done something that hasn’t been done before, we have bridged the gap in enhanced television between the Local Broadcaster and MSO. It is a true win-win-win. The local advertiser gets additional leads and metrics, the local broadcaster gets an additional piece of revenue per click from those advertisers and the MSO shares in these new profits for enabling the interactivity.

We have a whole host of advertisers involved from car dealerships to the local franchises of national brands. BCM doesn’t sell directly to advertisers but rather enables stations to create a new product to sell in addition to their CPM. What we are talking about is also more then just interactive Ads. Our system is also making local news and content interactive which increases the engagement and allows consumers to dig deeper into topics and offers they really care about.

We are currently is discussions with various MSOs and Broadcasters, but as you can imagine with the sensitivities around these talks I am not at liberty to speak until the deals are finalized and I will be sure to keep you in the loop as the ink hits the paper.”

Take a look at the TV commercial running in Alabama: