Title: Offer Kohen, founder and CEO of EyeScene, based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Background: Mr. Kohen previously founded and managed Arti-Shock Ltd., a company specializing in developing and producing advertising broadcast content. In 1997, he founded the New-Tone Advertising Agency, which generated more than $3 million in revenues in its first year. In 1998, the company was sold to his partners.
Focus: EyeScene’s Promotional Network is an interactive television guide platform that the company markets to TV networks around the world. It resides in any interactive environment, from the Internet to the TV, and contains TV listings, video promotions and additional information about the network. “Our technology and platform will reside on their brand,” Mr. Kohen said. “The Promotional Network allows any content producer or distributor to maximize the exposure of all content assets. Features include video promotions, extended content features, listings guide. Not only is everything accessible through a unique Web-based database system, but each content item is included in an exciting multiuser game.”
Playing games: Part and parcel of the Promotional Network is the trade game. Players receive virtual money, which they can use to buy and sell the TV programs of a particular network based on what they think will have ratings success. It operates like a stock-investing game. It’s a branding tool, Mr. Kohen said. “See the show. Play the game,” he said.
Development: EyeScene recently completed the development and testing of the Promotional Network and is currently negotiating with large players in Europe and the United Kingdom to deploy the technology, Mr. Kohen said.
What consumers want from interactive TV: “It’s a million-dollar question. It depends on the consumer. If you are talking about interactive TV, it’s more to the Internet generation. The traditional couch potato-type consumer doesn’t really want to interact. He wants to be passive and will stay passive and will do limited interaction with the TV. If you target your program to traditional users, I would assume he would consume things that are very basic and immediate, like sports. We are targeting more the computer generation, the generation that is already interactive, chatting and gaming.”