AT&T Has Launched Havoc's Linear Social TV Channel

Posted by Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP in Breaking News on May 14, 2011  |  0 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter |

AT&T has launched the linear social TV channel from action sports and indie music programmer Havoc that lets U-verse TV subscribers vote on the videos that appear on the screen in real time via Twitter. Multichannel News further elaborates on Havoc 247:

Havoc 247 is the first linear service from the company, which started in 2004 as one of the first video-on-demand networks. The linear feed provides a mix of music and sports culled from Havoc's library of short-form VOD content, with specific blocks for genres such as metal and punk, hip-hop and reggae, sports and movies.

One screen Social TV

In addition to the interactive-playlist feature, the network provides live Twitter and Web feeds from artists, athletes and other select sites along the left-hand of the screen.Viewers can chat on-screen through Facebook or Twitter (by tweeting a message with the hashtag #havoctv), though the company noted that comments are screened for profanity and appropriateness before they appear on the Havoc 247 service.

According to the executive Vice President of Havoc, Matt Muir, it is a way to make TV relevant to the demographic they cater. Youngster don't perceive TV as their primary source for media consumption. 

I do wonder if the one screen solution is a fit with the following stats from the same article:

Almost three-fourths of U.S. consumers multitask while watching TV: 42% are online, 29% are talking on cell phones or mobile devices, and 26% are sending instant messages or text messages, according to Deloitte's 2011 "State of the Media Democracy" survey.

According to Havoc, it can deliver the same linear TV feed online to PCs and to devices such as iPhones, BlackBerrys and tablets with no app required.