BBC’s Wimbledon Interactive TV Offers Viewers Five Match Choices at Once

by Alan Sheckter, Smart TV & Sound news editor

On just the first day of tennis competition, more than 1 million British digital satellite viewers took advantage of BBC’s Wimbledon Interactive service. Using OpenTV-provided technology, tennis enthusiasts who had the BSkyB digital satellite system, were able to pick their content by choosing between action on five courts simultaneously.

Since interactive numbers stayed at almost 1 million throughout the tennis tourney, the BBC intends, as a follow-up, to use OpenTV technology to enhance other sporting events on the BSkyB digital satellite platform. The next one is set for next week’s British Open Golf Tournament, from July 19-22.

“Well over 40 million people throughout the world are using OpenTV technology to bring iTV to their homes,” said OpenTV’s CEO James Ackerman in a press statement. “The interactive Wimbledon experience has shown once again that people have an appetite for innovative interactive TV content and services.”