ICTV^TM, creators of HeadendWare ®, the most powerful platform for the delivery and distribution of interactive television programming, and Packet Vision, developers of an addressable IPTV advertising delivery platform, have announced their collaboration on "personalized" TV advertising that is targeted, auditable and interactive.

Under the agreement, the two companies will enable IPTV providers to increase revenues by offering advertisers capabilities to produce and deliver personalized, interactive spots, and target them based upon factors such as demographics, preferences and purchasing histories. By combining ICTV HeadendWare's dynamic content rendering capabilities, which convert standard Web content into interactive MPEG streams, with Packet Vision's targeting engines, advertisers can minimize creative costs and maximize delivery efficiency.

"Advertisers want to deliver the right message to the right viewer at the right time and to move consumers toward action," said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ICTV. "Our joint agreement with Packet Vision will enable IPTV operators to provide opportunities for advertisers to use Web tools, technologies and talent to mass-customize ad content and deliver the best ad to each viewer."

"We share the same vision: that IPTV will make television a lot more personalized," says Packet Vision managing director, Patrick Christian. "Jointly we will help to overcome two main factors that are currently preventing smaller companies in particular from advertising on TV: the high costs of purchasing ad slots and the cost and difficulties traditionally associated with ad creation."

Through HeadendWare's support for standard PC, Web and Java tools, advertisers using the ICTV-Packet Vision solution can dynamically create personalized advertisements that are rendered in digital video and are spliced into individual subscribers' targeted streams by Packet Vision. The centralized HeadendWare platform enables a "telescoping" environment in which consumers can click on individual ads to request more information, watch a demonstration or make a purchase. At the same time, advertisers can more effectively target consumers and measure efficiency by tracking the user experience.