Advanced Television

Oggle breaks cover

January 26, 2011

By Colin Mann

Following the launch of the company’s interactive Connected TV and STB platform in December 2010 at the AppsWorld trade event, UK-based Green Button Media has revealed Oggle as the name for the platform’s consumer brand.

Green Button’s Founder and Chairman, Barry Rubery, believes Oggle can become the brand name on everyone’s lips when talking about and buying Connected TVs. “Viewers will definitely want to Oggle at their TV and the huge range of engaging features and content our innovative platform can bring,” he claimed.

Oggle has been developed by Green Button Media, led by pay-TV technology veteran, and co-founder of STB specialist Pace, Barry Rubery. He is now seeking to lead another consumer electronics revolution. “The launch of Connected TV in the UK later this year will undoubtedly transform the television industry yet again,” he predicted. The company feels that while some other platforms are likely to delay their launch, TV manufacturers and own-brand retailers seeking to establish themselves firmly at the start of the new Connected TV market later this year can adopt the Oggle platform now.

Oggle uses the European open HbbTV standard, with Green Button pointing out that unlike rival platforms operating restrictive ‘closed’ proprietary software systems, TV manufacturers and own-brand retailers adopting the Oggle platform will now be able to generate revenue from content available on their TVs. They will continue to ‘own’ viewing space on Connected TV ranges they make and sell, with long-term potential revenue streams from content including e-commerce sales, app downloads, Video On Demand services and more, says the company. Green Button has also developed the platform using W3C ‘open standards’ ensuring, App developers and owners can quickly adapt them for use on Oggle enabled TVs.

Green Button Media is confident it has developed not just a truly viewer-friendly platform package, but one that gives the industry what it needs too. “Manufacturers and retailers are clearly recognising our platform as a really viable alternative to content and search engine based competitors and their closed software systems,” said Rubery, who predicted that “savvy” consumers, who are becoming increasingly aware of what Connected TV can offer, would be actively seeking TV sets and STBs that give them the truly enhanced, easy to use and viewer-friendly experience and content they expect.

Rubery said that choosing the right platform partner had never been so important, and suggested that Oggle offered what viewers wanted now, without the risk of uncertainty or delays in getting to market for TV manufacturers and retailers.

Categories: Articles, Connected TV, In Home, OTT, STB