INTIME MEDIA:CO MAYO based InTime Media has developed new ways for mobile phone users to interact with their favourite television programmes, writes DAVID LABANYI.

The company was established in 2005 by Julian Ellison, who helped set up the BBC’s first internet operation, and is based at the Innovation Centre at GMIT Castlebar.

He uses the example of the programme Who Wants to be a Millionaireto describe the technology.

“The questions appear on the TV at the same time as on your phone giving the viewer the option of answering them using their mobile. This creates a real feeling that the phone and the TV are one and the same thing.”

The company has run a trial with the BBC for Strictly Come Dancing, which allowed people rate the participants’ costumes, technique, chemistry among other criteria. “You can give a score for each couple on a leaderboard and you can then decide who to vote for.”

Ellison says the technology can also be used when watching a recording or DVD version of the programme, or even while travelling on a bus.

“We want it to be a conduit to all the social media websites – Twitter and so on – because at the moment a lot of the broadcasters don’t really participate in the debate that goes on around popular television shows.”

In that sense, Ellison says the technology “is not just a mobile application, it is a platform”, and adds the rapid adoption of iphones – competing handsets – has made it easier for television executives to visualise the level of interactivity possible.

“This technology is one of those things that when you see it working you just say ‘this is just so obvious’. We believe it will be a no-brainer. We are working on deals with soap operas, where there is a parallel world for the fan.”

Intime has a number of projects running with the BBC and expects live versions of these to be available by the middle of this year. Ellison says direct revenues are based around the generation of premium-rate texts, although the company is also looking at sponsorship and other advertising.

Enterprise Ireland provided a grant to cover the cost of filing a patent and Intime also got an innovation partnership with GMIT Castlerbar: in both cases it had to find matching money.

Last year the company rewrote its business plan and raised €600,000, with half coming from private investors and the rest from Enterprise Ireland.

This has allowed the company expand and it is in the process of hiring up to six people as it seeks to increase sales. Ellison says he has been very impressed by the calibre of candidate available.