Following advanced-television.com’s exclusive revelation September 16 that Motive Television was anticipating an end-of-year UK launch for its Tablet TV service following October deployment in San Francisco, the company has confirmed it is moving toward launches in the United States and United Kingdom in 2014.

Both projects are currently in the process of updating and improving the user interface, and completing testing. If these proceed in line with management’s expectations, both projects will be launched commercially by Christmas.

In the United States, Tablet TV is planned to be available to the public in San Francisco by Christmas with a rollout in 2015. Technical Beta Testing is under way in San Francisco with users trying out the functionality in different environments and various parts of the city. Following a user interface upgrade planned at the end of September, the Beta Test will be expanded and will focus on the user experience. Starting in October, focus groups of users, carried out in association with the Frank Magid Associates research organisation, will provide important feedback to improve the Tablet TV experience. In parallel, the San Francisco-based launch team is completing supply chain and distribution arrangements.

There has been growing interest in Tablet TV in the United States since the front page article in the San Francisco Chronicle on 24 August 2014 and tablet owners will be registering on the Tablet Television website to be among the first to buy the product.

Tablet TV UK was demonstrated to numerous broadcasters at last week’s IBC Trade Show, where Motive won the Best Mobile Technology or Service award, and will enter a Beta Test with UK users in early October. During October distribution arrangements will be completed and final testing and approval. The Tablet TV UK website will allow tablet owners to register their interest.

Leonard M Fertig, CEO of Motive Television, said that Tablet TV had been a challenging and complex project for the Company and its partners and it was very exciting to see the launch of its first services in sight. “We are confident, supported by solid research, that Tablet TV will be a popular product for Motive in these two markets and expanding worldwide. There is global interest among broadcasters in our technology and concept and if Tablet TV proves successful in San Francisco and the UK it could be extraordinarily valuable to Motive in years to come.”

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