DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SMT, the award-winning provider of graphics, statistics and video enhancement solutions, today announced that it will help Turner Broadcasting’s TNT Latin America Network (TNTLA) enhance the live telecast of the Academy Awards pre-show by integrating viewers’ comments from social media platforms.
TNTLA will use SMT’s GOTO Board,™ a 103-inch interactive touch screen, to capture and display fans’ comments and questions on their favorite actors and films from Twitter and Facebook. Fans can watch as the show’s hosts respond to their inquiries during the live telecast.
TNTLA’s pre-show will air one hour prior to the start of the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 27, 2011. The pre-show, broadcast from TNTLA’s Atlanta-based studio, provides an interactive overview of the Academy Award nominees and live coverage from the Red Carpet with TNTLA correspondents. Much like during last year’s telecast, SMT’s GOTO Board will provide the show’s hosts with a simple one-touch way to view movie trailers of the nominees in all of the main categories including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress. The GOTO Board will also help the hosts highlight and analyze fashion trends from the Red Carpet.
“We are very pleased to be working with SMT again this year,” said Patricia Bellini, producer, TNTLA. “SMT’s technology will help us deliver a fresh, interactive presentation. By engaging our audience through social media, we are enhancing the quality of our broadcast.”
SMT’s GOTO Board, designed for high performance and ease of use in a variety of configurations, allows broadcasters to engage their audience in interactive and compelling ways. Since its launch in 2008, SMT’s GOTO Board has been used by Turner Sports for their broadcasts of NBA basketball, MLB Network, the Golf Channel and Black Entertainment Television (BET) to support an array of programming.
“SMT’s GOTO Board has a broad spectrum of uses in the entertainment industry,” said Don Tupper, vice president of SMT. “We applaud how TNTLA is incorporating social media into its upcoming Academy Awards pre-show. I foresee the GOTO Board’s social media application becoming an integral part of many broadcasts in the near future. It is a great tool with a powerful interface allowing the on-air talent to truly interact live with these dynamic platforms.”
The Academy Awards pre-show will be broadcast on TNTLA in both Spanish and Portuguese.
The 83rd Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor the best films and actors of 2010, will take place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
About SMT
SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation), headquartered in Durham, NC, is a leading provider of graphics, statistics and video enhancement software and services. Founded in 1988, SMT originally earned its reputation as a leading provider of data and graphics integration for the sports industry. Now SMT’s technology has broader applications in the entertainment industry. SMT’s core strength is helping clients overcome business challenges by delivering new solutions for visually displaying data in an intelligent, comprehendible manner. The company has won 17 Emmy awards and two Telly awards since 1993. SMT’s solutions have been used at the most prestigious sporting events including the Super Bowl, NBC Sunday Night Football, the Indianapolis 500, the NCAA Final Four, the Kentucky Derby, ESPN Summer and Winter X Games, NBA on TNT, NASCAR and NHL. For more information, visit www.sportsmedia.com.