CloverLeaf Digital and PrairieWave Communications Launch Innovative Interactive News and Information Service to Digital Cable Subscribers
Brooklyn, NY, April 17, 2003 --- CloverLeaf Digital LLC today announced
that it has inaugurated its interactive television business by launching
an interactive news and information service with PrairieWave Communications
in South Dakota. The interactive TV service provides digital cable TV
subscribers with the ability to access news, sports, weather, movie
listings and more, on-demand and directly from their TVs.
CloverLeaf Digital’s interactive TV news and information service (also known as a Walled Garden or TV Portal) is designed to flexibly meet the needs of cable and other digital video operators interested in providing interactivity to their subscribers. The content, branding, and look and feel are customizable for each operator.
Branded PrairieWaveViews by PrairieWave Communications, PrairieWave Communications’ version of CloverLeaf Digital’s interactive news and information service is supported by Scientific-Atlanta’s InView application running on Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 2200 and 8000 set-top boxes.
PrairieWave Communications offers a bundle of advanced telephone, video and data services to 38 communities in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Over the next several months, the interactive TV service will be launched to digital cable TV subscribers in all communities served by PrairieWave Communication’s digital cable service.
“We needed a service that we could localize for our small rural communities, and that we could customize with our own branding, while not jeopardizing our aggressive launch date. We couldn’t have done it without CloverLeaf Digital,” says PrairieWave Communication’s CEO Craig Anderson. “This exciting service is central to our product offering and our differentiation strategy. It is essential for us to be able to provide valuable services such as this to our subscribers that our competitors do not offer. The interactive on-demand news and information service is the first of what we expect to be an industry-leading set of interactive television applications and services.”
With content from major providers including Associated Press, the interactive TV service includes world and national news; national and regional sports; a robust weather offering with localized current conditions, forecasts, and radar, as well as regional and national radar maps; local movie listings; and entertainment content including horoscopes and soap opera updates. Local news and sports in partnership with local news providers are planned to be added in the future.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better first partner than PrairieWave Communications. Their deployment was a perfect test for our approach of providing a flexible and customizable solution,” says Lawrence Brickman, CloverLeaf Digital’s Managing Partner. “PrairieWave Communications’ innovative approach to providing subscribers with interactive services meshes perfectly with our philosophy. We look forward to deploying additional services with them in the future.”
In addition to this interactive news and information service, CloverLeaf Digital is developing other interactive TV services, including email on TV and caller ID for TV. “ITV can be as successful as it is well-designed and well targeted. Interactive television’s poor reputation is largely because the industry started projecting revenue from targeted advertising before it learned how to target the services themselves. The key is to carefully match the right service to a specific customer base, and to a well-defined business objective,” said Brickman
The interactive news and information service was developed by CloverLeaf Digital in partnership with Iacta LLC of Los Angeles. “Our business philosophy of providing robust services at an economical price point calls for developing a network of appropriate partnerships rather than building a large and unwieldy internal infrastructure, and we are pleased to have partnered with Iacta to develop this service” said Lawrence Brickman. “Iacta’s deep understanding of both the interactive television user experience and the capabilities of set-top box browsers was essential to the success of this launch.”
"We are truly delighted to partner with CloverLeaf," said
Laura Buddine, Iacta CEO. "CloverLeaf came to us with a near-term
schedule and the need to serve the Scientific-Atlanta InView platform.
We designed our CAST application server to provide localized walled
garden and portal services for a wide range of iTV platforms, so we
were able to quickly incorporate CloverLeaf's and PrairieWave's portal
design and platform requirements to serve it. We share CloverLeaf's
philosophy of providing robust iTV services at an economical cost that
addresses the realities of today’s market, and we're looking forward
to working with CloverLeaf to empower more operators."
About CloverLeaf Digital LLC
Founded in February 2003 by industry veteran Lawrence Brickman, CloverLeaf
Digital (www.cloverleafdigital.com)
provides interactive television services and consulting to network operators,
programmers, and other members of the media community. CloverLeaf Digital
adheres to an appropriate technology philosophy, leveraging flexible
and innovative technology and business structures, to provide compelling
and reliable services at industry-leading prices. By integrating an
understanding of the marketplace and the technological environment,
with a respect for partners’ and customers’ business needs,
CloverLeaf Digital profitably provides iTV services that resonate with
consumers while earning their keep.
About PrairieWave Communications
With 240 employees, PrairieWave Communications is the first company
dedicated to building and operating broadband telecommunications networks
in small communities. The Company’s current networks serve 38
communities in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, and include two switching
centers, three cable television operations centers, and over 4700 miles
of integrated fiber optic, coaxial, and copper network facilities. Over
these proprietary networks, the Company offers a full bundle of advanced
telephone, video and data services to small community residents and
businesses. Further information is available on the Company’s
Website at www.prairiewave.com.
About Iacta LLC
Iacta LLC (www.iacta.com)
is an iTV development and consulting company with more than eighteen
years' experience providing interactive content, services, and applications
for delivery on television platforms. Iacta's Games4TV(TM) serves customers
on cable and telco-delivered iTV in North American and Europe, and hotel
guests in selected properties in North America. Iacta's CAST application
server, used in the PrairieWave portal, is designed to provide portal
and walled garden services for any iTV platform which has either a middleware
or presentation engine. Iacta's Games4TV and CAST are both available
for most major iTV platforms.
For more information:
Lawrence Brickman
Managing Partner
CloverLeaf Digital LLC
LB@cloverleafdigital.com
917/509-9481
