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GoldPocket to Produce ITV for CBS

Mar 7, 2005  •  Post A Comment

CBS and interactive television firm GoldPocket Interactive have signed a multiyear pact to produce ad-supported interactive applications for many of the network’s top-rated shows.

The news comes on the heels of CBS parent Viacom’s earnings call in late February, in which Chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone said Viacom plans to accelerate its use of new media platforms to promote its brands this year. The GoldPocket deal is indicative of the kinds of initiatives CBS will pursue in the convergence space.

CBS and GoldPocket have inked one-off deals in the past for shows and specials, but the new deal is the first broad agreement between the two companies.

Just last month CBS added new features to “Survivor” on its Web site that let users interact with the show on the computer while watching TV. One-screen ITV applications, allowing interaction through the remote, will follow. The applications for CBS shows are being built to work across all distribution platforms, including satellite and cable, said Scott Newnam, CEO of GoldPocket.

“This is the first time we have done a bucket of programs, and this includes every platform,” he said.

He said he expects cable operators to announce in the next few months they have enabled one-screen ITV in more markets. Though neither CBS nor GoldPocket would say which shows will have ITV features, GoldPocket has worked on “CSI,” “CSI: Miami,” the NCAA college basketball tournament, the Grammy Awards and “Survivor.”