With the amount of original video content that is generated increasing year on year, the ability to use it as a way of creating new revenue streams, as well as effectively engage viewers and understand how they interact with content, is highly prized.  It is these capabilities that mean Smartzer has been crowned the winner of the DTG Television Innovation Awards at the IBC, after fighting off stiff competition from some of the UK’s best tech start-ups.

David Crawford, the Conference Executive Producer at IBC and one of the judges, said of Smartzer’s win: “There were six great innovations and three brilliant ones, and the judges’ decision on the winner was a hotly contested environment, but in the end Smartzer was a unanimous winner. It was a very clear presentation, they had thought through their business case, protected the most exciting bits of their intellectual property and got their strategy nicely bundled up.”

Smartzer’s players allow consumers to click on anything in a video to purchase, see information on or pre-order items.  The big draw for brands, though, is the powerful analytics engine, which captures detailed data on how consumers interact with the videos.

Smartzer’s unique technology can be applied to videos swiftly, before they are distributed through an HTML5 player.  This means that the interactive content is accessible via a wide range of appliances, from mobile devices to smart televisions.

Karoline Gross, Smartzer’s founder and CEO, had this to say on winning the award, and participating at the IBC: “Being a part of the IBC though the DTG Television Innovation Awards has been fantastic.  We have been able to see the latest technologies in the broadcasting and entertainment space, as well as create new opportunities for Smartzer.”

“The support from the DTG, UKTI and the GREAT campaigns has helped position Smartzer alongside the most innovative technologies at the IBC.We see a future where all videos are interactive across all channels. The opportunities created through winning the award in the television and broadcasting industry will be invaluable for us to work towards the future vision.”.

The DTG Television Innovation Awards is an annual search for the best UK-based start-ups and SMEs delivering new ideas and products into the digital media technology industry.