• Starz intros Enteract Now iTV tech
By Traci Patterson

Starz has introduced Enteract Now, the first of several interactive television (iTV) products that Starz is developing.

Enteract Now gives viewers the ability to “watch now” and instantly link to the on-demand version of a movie or other program they’re watching on a traditional TV channel using on-screen shortcuts.

The feature is built on CableLabs’ Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) specification. Because Enteract Now is built on the industry-standard EBIF specification, it can be launched easily on any cable system where the EBIF platform has been deployed.

• Imake expands on-demand advertising system
By Traci Patterson

Imake’s OpenVision Ad Exchange platform now supports linear broadcast TV ad insertion.

Working with Adtec Digital and ad-splicing technologies, Imake has created a centralized way to manage, target and execute ad campaigns across multiple linear and on-demand networks.

OpenVision uses open standards from the SCTE to integrate with existing linear ad-insertion equipment, asset management solutions and subscriber profiling solutions. The new ad-management capabilities manage and track ads and sponsorships being watched by any subscriber base across all content types and networks being viewed.