« Gilded Lily | Main | Be bold, go cable »
June 10, 2004
GoldPocket Teams Up with Bravo TV to Enable One of the First Short Messaging Services Campaigns on the Enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network
Sprint and Bravo Move into "The West Wing" Re-broadcasts with the "Sound Off" Effort Designed to Poll Viewers on Election and Quickly Inform Them of Results
Business Wire
Fans of the Emmy Award-winning "The West Wing" who have Sprint wireless phone service will now have the opportunity to participate in one of the first Sprint Text Messaging events -- or Short Messaging Services (SMS) -- enabled by GoldPocket's EM Connect, beginning on Monday, June 14, 2004.
During airings of "The West Wing" re-broadcasts on Bravo (Mondays, 7-8 p.m. ET and 11 p.m.-12 a.m. ET) for the rest of June, viewers will be prompted on-air to answer polls in the spirit of the presidential election by "texting" their responses to short code BRAVO (27286). From commenting on past cast members to creating couples, the polls will ask questions that viewers are dying to answer. Results will be tabulated in real-time and then sent to participants so they can see how their opinion compares with that of other fans.
"Sprint has an avid installed base of customers using advanced mobile data services," said Scott Newnam, CEO of technology partner GoldPocket Interactive. "It is great to be able to provide them with a text messaging solution, and partnering with Bravo and Sprint to do it now is clearly a winning combination."
"We have been using GoldPocket's EM Connect to reach out to our audience, so allowing viewers to interact with us via their Sprint PCS phones seems like a natural extension," says Stephen Andrade, NBC Vice President of Interactive Development. "This gives our audience the ability to directly send us their feedback on specific questions related to 'The West Wing.' We're anxious to hear what they have to say."
The event is a strong link in the chain Bravo and Sprint are constructing to allow their customers an interactive method to provide feedback. Sprint customers can use Short Mail services, as well as two-way short messaging services (SMS) to participate in the campaign. Normal charges for messaging services will apply.
"Offering a variety of messaging services and providing the best possible customer experience for all of our advanced wireless data services is a priority for Sprint," said Jeff Hallock, Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Sprint. "By working with Bravo and GoldPocket, this new form of interactive messaging provides customers with another way to use their Sprint PCS phones besides talking and allows them to be more connected with what's hot in pop culture."
Bravo, an arts and culture network featuring a variety of compelling programming presented in an original and engaging way, is the television destination for viewers who want creativity, experimentation and innovation. Currently seen in more than 76 million homes, Bravo was the first service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. Today, Bravo offers innovative arts and entertainment programming with a unique point of view featuring original series, feature films (both independent and mainstream), theater, dance, music and documentaries. Bravo boasts critically acclaimed original programming -- including "Inside the Actors Studio," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and "Cirque du Soleil" specials and series. The network's latest hits include the critically acclaimed improvisational sitcom "Significant Others," and the docu-series "Showbiz Moms & Dads."
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal -- one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been a NBC Cable Network since December 2002.
Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 65,000 employees worldwide and over $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
GoldPocket, the leading provider of advanced media technologies, develops and sells products and services that create, manage, and deliver digital and interactive media. The Company specializes in high performance advanced media systems used in digital television, PC/TV convergence systems, and wireless networks. The Company's customers include most of the world's largest media and distribution companies including Time Warner, NewsCorp, Disney, Viacom, DirecTV, and many television networks including CBS, Fox, NBC, GSN, A&E, History Channel, Spike TV, The WB, Speed Channel, PBS, AMC, TBS Superstation, CNN, Bravo, Fuse, and Lifetime.
Posted by Jo at June 10, 2004 02:32 PM