Zappware launches digital teletext service for Flemish broadcaster VITAYA
18/06/2008

"Vitaya Digitext" launch based on Zappware's Digital Teletext iFormat

Zappware, the Belgian one-stop solution provider for iDTV on multiple TV platforms, were tapped by Vitaya, a Flemish commercial TV station, to develop a digital teletext, dubbed "Vitaya Digitext", based on their digital teletext iFormat.

"Vitaya Digitext" is available on the digital TV platform of cable operator Telenet. It features highlights, news (programme info, health, food, lifestyle and travel), recipes (of the week/of the month/of the season) and contests on a 24-hour basis. Vitaya staff can manage the content, i.e. texts ands images, interactive quizzes and direct marketing campaigns, in-house, through Zappware's iView portal.

Zappware's iFormat for digital teletext provides enhanced benefits for viewers with full-colour pages, nice images, easy-to-read fonts, faster, easier navigation and more control, and the ability to continue to view TV programmes/commercials in a scaled-down window whilst scrolling through content or participating in quizzes or direct marketing campaigns. It can integrate iVOD and it can interface seemlessly with external content providers so that existing information may be re-used with a minimum of human intervention.

Zappware have built the digital teletext service using their proprietor iView Platform, which is a flexible, platform-independent production environment for the creation and/or modification of iDTV services.

About Vitaya
Broadcaster Vitaya got its license for 9 years in 1999 and started to broadcast on 25 August 2000. Vitaya can be seen on Flemish cable and satellite services. The station is part of the Media ad Infinitum group. As a thematic broadcaster Vitaya focuses on lifestyle themes for more quality in life: happiness, health, food, family, garden, home, fashion, leisure and travel, lifestyle and human interest. Vitaya viewers are mostly young active women situated in the higher social classes. In November 2007 Vitaya launches Vitaliteit, a new digital channel focusing on health.

Thomas Geeraerts, IT and Online Media Manager Vitaya: "From now on the high-quality information published by Vitaya on the internet, is also disclosed on digital TV for digital Telenet viewers. This new technology ensures that we are better equipped now to meet the viewers' needs and to provide extra information, exclusive contests and other interactive applications, even to those people who have no internet access."

"Experiencing an easy-to-use, robust and performant application is one of the key contribution factors to customer satisfaction and is strongly driving the service uptake", says Tom Van Driessche, iDTV interactive application manager at Telenet. "The Zappware iFormats allow a high level of application customization, based on standard adjustable templates and hence avoid the need for a new development for each application. This greatly reduces application testing time while ensuring high quality and improving time to market."

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