SeeItFirst.com, a streaming media and Webcasting company, yesterday debuted technology that the company claims allows Webcasters to attach chat forums, audience polling features, interactive games and trivia, advertising and registration forms to Webcasts.
“For example, if a company is hosting a skateboarding contest and an advertiser has paid for a prime spot during the event, the company has the ability to push the ad to the Webcast when the winner is announced,” said Scott Gordon, vice president of marketing at SeeItFirst, Fremont, CA. “Our platform puts the Webcast in the hands of the content owner.”
Dubbed SeeItFirst Live 2.0, the product is designed for sports venues, entertainment events, public relations events and distance learning programs, Gordon said. The program is priced at $10,000 per Webcast, which includes the Webcasting content platform, audience tracking, event registration, e-mail services, and chat and audience polling services.
SeeItFirst has partnered with Uptilt.com, Redwood City, CA, for polling and trivia services, and with Talk City, Campbell, CA, for chat services. The company outsources Webcast production to Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA. SeeItFirst clients have the option to seek Webcast production services elsewhere if desired.
The company initially tested its platform during a Webcast of the backstage events of the Latin Grammy Awards in September. Gordon did not disclose response rates of this initial test. Officials with Livecast, the company that produced the Webcast, did not return calls by press time.
SeeItFirst was launched in early 1997 by Narayanam Ram, who was previously responsible for developing technology for desktop video conferencing at Cirrus Logic. Up until this point, SeeItFirst primarily produced streaming video for real estate agencies, Gordon said.
