Decisionmark Announces Three Software Solutions for Digital Broadcasting

May 2002—Decisionmark Corp. recently announced three new services as part of its ProximityTV.com offering. These services provide for the first time the most complete answers – in real-time – to critical business and operational issues facing broadcasters today, as they transition from analog to digital transmission. The key issues are: precisely where is my broadcast signal reaching; who is watching; what program content is available in each viewer’s location; and what is the level of consumer interest at retail regarding Digital TV?With the three new software solutions, broadcasters can obtain immediate answers to these questions for the first time simply by clicking on Decisionmark’s ProximityTV.com to receive the most accurate and complete information anywhere regarding signal coverage; real-time programming available to consumers in their market; and viewer’s interest in that programming. Additionally, broadcasters can access aggregate market information from consumer electronics retailers to determine and evaluate consumer interest in DTV.

How Decisionmark Links Broadcasters, Viewers and Retailers
The TitanTV guide is the first and only online guide with a suite of features and functions allowing broadcasters at no-cost to provide a critical digital TV service: conducting real-time programming updates, including multicasting information, which then can become customized guides on the broadcaster’s web sites for use by viewers. Titan TV guide also enables broadcasters to generate viewer metrics. Already, approximately one-third of all U.S. broadcasters are utilizing TitanTV guide and its services.

The Digital Tool Kit is the first and only single-source digital solution that provides each broadcaster with the ability both to obtain an immediate, real-time picture of who can actually receive their digital signal and also to see immediately the DTV programming content in the market. With the no-cost Digital Tool Kit, broadcasters can see the aggregate viewer traffic in their area in terms of who is interested in their station’s programming. The Tool Kit enables broadcasters to do this by displaying the number of viewers using the TitanTV guide on their web site.

The TitanTV.com Retail Zone is the first interactive retail-based, real-time information tool which explains to consumers interested in digital television what channels they can pick-up at their home location, what programming content is available there in real-time each day and what antenna is required. The Retail Zone also is the only data-gathering tool available to help broadcasters and retailers determine consumers’ level of interest in digital TV technology and products. According to Decisionmark, the Retail Zone solves a major DTV headache today for retailers and consumers – one that is dampening retail DTV demand and sales, while increasing returns.

Overcoming DTV Retail Sales Obstacles
“When it comes to buying DTV, there’s a lot of uncertainty and complexity for consumers in the store today,” said Jack Perry, president and CEO of Decisionmark Corp. “Specifically, retailers currently are unable to answer consumers’ most basic DTV questions: ‘what channels can I get; what content is available to me; and what antenna do I need.’”

Too often, the resulting initial consumer experience with DTV is confusing and unsatisfying, explained Perry. For the first time in-store, the Retail Zone now definitively answers these questions and resolves the confusion for retailers and consumers.

Local broadcasters also receive a key benefit from the Retail Zone, especially given the fact that local stations are receiving calls for help in answering these questions from local consumer electronics retailers. According to Perry, by tying the Retail Zone to Decisionmark’s ProximityTV.com, local broadcasters can now support local retailers directly by encouraging them to use the Retail Zone for the most complete information for each specific customer regarding channels, content and antenna.

Perry said that broadcasters then see the developing metrics of households going to retail to learn about DTV. “This spells demand,” Perry noted. Retailers can access the Retail Zone by logging onto Decisionmark’s TitanTV.com site.

An early local broadcasting advocate of the TitanTV.com Retail Zone is Capitol Broadcasting of North Carolina. Capitol Broadcasting has been a digital pioneer, offering the first digital signal, the first HDTV local newscast, as well as multicasting and data casting on their digital stations in Raleigh, North Carolina – WRAL and WRAZ.

According to James F. Goodmon, President and CEO, Capitol Broadcasting Company, “It is vital to us as a digital broadcaster that the consumer purchase of digital television sets and tuners be as simple as possible. Decisionmark’s Retail Zone takes the guesswork out of the buying process by answering key questions about programming, channels and antennas at the point of purchase. We are delighted to see the Retail Zone service as it helps everyone have a positive first experience with DTV.”

TV manufacturers are also showing their support. “The TitanTV Retail Zone fills a definite need for a simple, accurate tool that retailers can use at the point-of-sale to help consumers understand what over-the-air digital content is available and what equipment they need to receive it. Having a well-informed salesperson will help consumers feel more comfortable with their digital television purchase and speed the digital transition,” stated Tim Ryan, Senior Software Architect, DLP Products, Texas Instruments.

Decisionmark also announced a new functionality on TitanTV.com for broadcasters and viewers alike. TitanTV.com is the first online real-time household-level programming guide with one-click Personal Video Recording capability. Users of TitanTV.com can now (with PC-TV software on their PCs) click on a “Watch Now” TV icon that initiates directly from the programming guide immediate viewing of a consumer’s favorite TV show without recording first. This becomes important to broadcasters as they will be able to access viewer metrics on the number of viewers watching specific programming in their markets. The TV icon within the program grid actually launches the viewer making it easier than ever to watch TV on the PC.

Why ProximityTV.com Is Widely Used
The total ProximityTV.com offering from Decisionmark is the most complete package of online, real-time tools to enable broadcasters to quickly understand their markets and make informed management and operational decisions. It also is the only service that provides household-level data to broadcasters to determine the signal strength reaching a particular home.

“For the first time digital broadcasters can now receive, with one click, the most accurate picture of the home and retail analog/DTV environment,” said Decisionmark’s Jack Perry. “As of today, we already have 1,000 of the 1,885 TV broadcasters nationwide using ProximityTV services,” Mr. Perry noted.

Mr. Perry explained that with digital television, broadcasters and consumers will need to be able to pinpoint the exact reach of local over-the-air signals. Due to the DTV transition, for the first time in over 20 years, the only way to receive these local over-the-air broadcast will be via an antenna,” Mr. Perry said.

Cable companies will not carry the full digital signal, not because they are unwilling, but because they are limited by the capacity of existing installed cable. Carrying the full digital broadcasts of all stations in a market would nearly saturate the capacity of most cable systems, leaving cable providers without the room to carry cable channels such as CNN, MTV and HBO, Mr. Perry noted. As broadcasters convert to digital, they will need a tool that allows them to visualize their markets as defined by their reach of their over-the-air signal areas. Decisionmark is the only company positioned to do this in real-time, online.

About Decisionmark
Decisionmark is the foremost online software and information provider delivering: to broadcasters, the most accurate and complete, real time information anywhere regarding signal coverage, reception, programming and viewers; and to consumers, the only real-time household-level on-line programming guide. This guide enables each consumer to determine what transmission and programming they can actually receive daily from broadcasters and gives them the ability to access and record their favorite programs. As part of its mission to connect every broadcaster with every consumer, Decisionmark provides solutions in two business areas:

• Data acquisition and management tools for broadcasters currently being used by virtually every major broadcast network and their affiliates via ProximityTV.com. Decisionmark’s ProximityTV is the only real-time, online technology that links broadcasters to viewers.



• Technology for consumers that enables the management and delivery of media information directly into the home via TitanTV.com. TitanTV.com is the first comprehensive online, real-time station and program guide enabling consumers at no-cost to determine the availability of all digital and analog television transmission - -as well as cable, digital cable and satellite programming- - for exactly where each consumer lives. It also provides the first and only online electronic program guide (EPG) for the PC with a single-click recording capability.

SOURCE Decisionmark