(18 December 2006 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US firm Chyron which provides graphics software for the world’s television broadcasters and an emerging player in the field of mobile TV graphics has partnered with Madison Road Entertainment which works in the field of branded entertainment.

Together, the companies will launch a new advertiser-supported mobile TV software suite and web-based out of home (OoH) network services platform in 2007.

Under the partnership, the companies have agreed to develop and market a series of software application tools that will connect advertisers more efficiently with viewers through various devices and networking protocols including cell phones, OoH networks and the Internet.

The partnership was formed to address the accelerating demand for multiple media content delivery systems, as the large, traditional audiences, which mainstream advertisers covet, spend more of their time out of home and connected to new forms of content delivery - much of it portable.

Chyron president and CEO, Michael Wellesley-Wesley says, "Chyron has been developing its capabilities in this area for several years now.

“Recognising that the future requirements of advertisers will include a truly immersive experience that extends beyond TV - to include cell phones, OoH networks and the Internet - we identified Madison Road, its advertising, branding, entertainment programming expertise and connections as the perfect partner and choice to integrate Chyron into these new areas of content creation.

“Madison Road’s experience with social networking trends and viral marketing models, as well as their positioning at the crossroads of advertising and mainstream entertainment, fits well with Chyron’s competence in developing software-based solutions for content creation and content management in the digital video space.”

In 2005, Chyron launched its ChyTV business unit to develop technology solutions for middle-service providers, addressing the newly-emerging retail digital signage and OoH networks space. Based on its initial development of proprietary content creation and scheduling software, as well as low-cost playout devices, ChyTV is now poised to offer a turnkey, web-based services solution to these high-growth, emerging markets.