Launching April 1 (not a good day to be taken seriously guys) Canada’s BITE TV promises something special in the realm in interactive television: to actually be interactive rather than the poor excuse for interactivity seen to date from other television and cable companies.
BITE will feature wireless downloading and PC or mobile chat-to-screen.
It offers viewers the opportunity to submit their own video content including make-your-own television ads. Advertisers can showcase their brands in formats from 5-second spots to, short form, branded blocks that enable the viewer to personalize the spots with their own content.
Short form content can also focus entirely on a brand.
BITE will also launch BITE ME, its live interactive program in coming weeks. At that time, viewers will be given the opportunity to interact live with the hosts and amongst themselves.
“BITE will discover, air and stream thousands of individual creative masterpieces that are currently being produced and those that have perhaps lacked visibility due to a shortage of distribution opportunities,” Elliott says. “Thousands of producers, directors, actors, animators and college and university students aspiring to be filmmakers now have a short form channel in BITE.”
In a way, it’s taking the Citizen’s Media/Blogging approach to television. Acknowledging that, there will be plenty of crap content but there will also be a few gems in the mix and, because of that, some bright, new talent may be discovered.
