Japan : TV ASAHI and Hong Kong based Artificial Life announced the launch of a one hour interactive mobile participation TV show with the Japanese title: "Hoshi-ichi owarairyoku test" scheduled to air late night of June 14th, 2008.
The Japanese celebrity, Kendo Kobayashi, will host the pilot show and guide television viewers through the innovative one hour game show format.
During the program, participants use their mobile phones to interact with the live show by controlling their own 3D animated avatars which appears on their own TV screen and compete with other viewers by using their avatars for answering quiz questions. The winner of the quiz challenge is awarded a prize sponsored by TV ASAHI.
Eberhard Schoneburg, Artificial Life's Chief Executive Officer, said, "This is a great opportunity for us. We are excited to be airing our first interactive TV show in Japan. The format of the show is very unique even for Japan in that viewers will be able to interact with live 3D representations of themselves in the form of cute animated avatars as well as to participate and interact with the show's hosts in real time. Our SMS Galaxy is already successful in Europe and we are now entering the Asian markets as well as live sports entertainment arenas with this unique technology. We are very thankful to TV ASAHI for the positive and promising cooperation we now have together."
The TV show is produced by Artificial Life, Inc. and runs on their unique real-time 3D scene engine and mobile TV interface technology, SMS Galaxy(tm). SMS Galaxy(tm) enables live TV broadcasters to support real-time viewer interaction with their shows using their mobile phones. Viewers may use mobile web, short message service (SMS) or any other communication channel supported by SMS Galaxy(tm) to register before or during the show to select their on-TV screen name along with their animated 3D avatar of choice. In the television studio, a real time joystick control allows a studio operator to generate a camera path flying through the 3D scene of all participating viewers' avatars. SMS Galaxy is highly scalable and can animate over 100,000 participants in real time. The system consists of special purpose hardware and servers and proprietary software to control the mobile interaction.
Naoto Ueda, TV ASAHI Corporation, Co-Director, Intermedia Programming, Programming Department, said, "We are extremely pleased to introduce such an adventurous entertainment project to our Japanese audience tied with Artificial Life, Inc. In this age of demassification and diversification, it is vital for us to redefine ways to enjoy TV programs such as by combining them with other media devices. Now that a mobile phone has literally become an alter ego, particularly for the young generation, I am convinced that they will truly enjoy the excitement of virtually appearing on TV as a 3D animated avatar, thanks to SMS Galaxy(tm)."
About TV ASAHI Corporation
TV ASAHI Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange 9409) is a major broadcaster with 23 local affiliates that extend coverage across the entire Japanese archipelago. Our global network of 15 bureaus abroad ensures speedy newsgathering from all over the world. The headquarters, situated in the southeastern area of the Roppongi Hills complex, consists of 5 major TV studios, facilities for program production and broadcasting, and headquarters' office, which together function as a cutting edge digital media station. Through its interactive capability, we are strengthening innovative developments in audience participation oriented programs such as TV shopping and quiz shows.http://company.tv-asahi.co.jp/e/index.html
