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AHA MEDIA films at the launch of TELUS customers the first to stay connected from the living room with Facebook on Optik TV

March 14, 2011 ahamedia Leave a comment

Today, TELUS introduced a new Facebook application on its Optik TV platform. The first of its kind in Canada, the app is designed to provide customers with access to Facebook features and content without missing a second of their favourite TV shows.

The Facebook app wraps part of the perimeter of the television screen, allowing users to enjoy their favourite Facebook features while simultaneously continuing to watch TV programming. Offered as part of the Optik TV subscription, the Facebook application on Optik TV uses the standard remote control to allow customers to view status updates, activities and Wall posts, find a friend, and write messages on friends’ Walls. The application also offers the ability to view photo albums in slideshow mode to create a high-impact full screen presentation view of photos right on the TV.

TELUS customers first to stay connected from the living room with Facebook on Optik TV

Vancouver, B.C. — TELUS is giving Western Canadians something new to “Like” about Optik TV. TELUS today introduced a new Facebook application on its Optik TV platform designed to provide customers convenient access to Facebook features and content without missing a second of their favorite TV shows. This innovative application is a Canadian first, and brings a whole new dimension to both TV watching and social media. Through “Share my View”, users are able to post what they’re watching on their Wall, creating a social TV viewing experience that brings their whole friends list into the picture.

“IPTV is the future of television, and with Optik TV the future is here at TELUS. We are committed to enabling a truly connected home, offering new ways for our Optik TV customers to stay connected and multitask while enjoying television, and to that end we plan to launch a number of applications this year,” said David Fuller, Chief Marketing Officer, TELUS. “TV applications are a great example of the power of Internet-enabled TV. This Facebook app brings social networking to the living room – it’s all about making TV viewing a social activity again, in an exciting new way.”

To promote the launch of this bold new TV app, TELUS has teamed up with Leonard Nimoy in an innovative marketing campaign that announces Facebook on Optik TV as “The Next Frontier of Social Networking.”

The application wraps part of the perimeter of the television screen, allowing users to enjoy their favorite Facebook features while simultaneously continuing to watch TV programming. Included in the Optik TV subscription, the Facebook application on Optik TV uses the standard remote control to allow customers to view status updates, activities and Wall posts, find a friend, and write messages on friends’ Walls. The application also offers the ability to view Facebook photo albums in slideshow mode to create a high-impact full screen presentation view of photos right on the TV.

TELUS Optik TV customers need only their current Facebook account and subscription to Optik Internet to take advantage of the Facebook application for TV.

The Facebook application was developed in partnership between TELUS and ES3, the premier developer of iTV (interactive television) applications for the award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom platform upon which Optik TV is based. “Applications for IPTV, such as the Facebook app, are key drivers in the evolution of TV and how consumers interact with the largest screen in the home,” said Doug Edwards, CEO, ES3. “I truly believe the Facebook application for Optik TV presents a clear view to the horizon of purely integrated social activities that can be tied with our TV viewing experiences.”

TELUS offers Optik TV in British Columbia and Alberta communities. TELUS is investing $1.3 billion in network infrastructure in B.C. and Alberta this year alone to increase Internet speeds, introduce Optik TV to more communities, and expand its wireless network.