ChallengerTEC and Signagelive interactive signage for hospitality

Background

Challenger Technologies Ltd (ChallengerTEC) is a technology and innovation company that has combined software, networking and wireless technologies to develop a specialised content management and marcomms solution for large sports venues to encourage fan interaction during live tournaments and events.

The company has also developed a portfolio of on-screen and mobile interactive web-based apps and games, including, predict the score, the half time quiz and Man of the Match, to complement its core offering to further promote fan engagement. Using a Smartphone or tablet, supporters can access match statistics in real-time, enter competitions, watch action replays, place bets or order refreshments directly from their seats, resulting in an enhanced customer experience and supplementary revenue sources for the venue.

The opportunity

ChallengerTEC’s business model had historically been dependent on pre-installed onsite facilities, such as mini displays in corporate hospitality suites. As part of its overall strategy for expansion, the company is launching its core technology to the wider leisure industry to give hoteliers, publicans and managers the ability to superimpose audience-specific messages onto live TV feeds (football matches, music videos etc) in multi-zone formats, to encourage customers to stay at the premises longer, resulting in increased consumer spending.

While ChallengerTEC has extensive experience in developing interactive content and associated applications, it lacked the expertise needed to display and manage that content intelligently. The company began searching for a technology partner to fulfil this requirement and approached a number of reputable digital signage companies. Signagelive was finally chosen as the preferred partner because of its intuitive software, its reputation in the market, its ambitious long-term R & D plans, and its experience in cloud-based digital signage.

The Result

ChallengerTEC and Signagelive have combined their individual skills and expertise to develop an innovative solution called iVUTV that allows pub landlords and managers to make digital signage interactive. By overlaying dynamic content in a multi-zone format onto live TV programmes, they are able to offer their customers a range of Smartphone-based interactive services that are comparable to “Red Button“TV. iVUTV has just been launched and the first company to benefit from its capabilities is the Camerons Brewery Chain.

Rather than running expensive TV advertising campaigns, Camerons Brewery can overlay a range of interactive Apps onto existing TV content to promote highly targeted campaigns to specific audiences, depending on age, gender or the time of day. Customers are encouraged to interact by participating in competitions, with results being displayed on screen, or downloading complimentary drink or food vouchers that can be used within stipulated time frames. They can share their experience with friends using social media thus promoting further interaction.

How it works

iVUTV is easy to implement because it makes use of existing displays already installed in a pub or night club. ChallengerTEC hardware includes a TV capture card and the system is installed by a dedicated installation team.

Signagelive’s digital signage software has been seamlessly integrated with ChallengerTEC’s content delivery platform to enable highly targeted information to be displayed intelligently in a multi-zone format. Customers are encouraged to log into the iVUTV mobile web application where they can access interactive games, quizzes and have their say in the daily polls.

Benefits of Signagelive

Signagelive’s intuitive cloud-based digital signage software has given ChallengerTEC a competitive advantage by significantly reducing their time to market. Its core software is written in HTML5, the new standard for all cross-platform online applications and has been seamlessly integrated with ChallengerTEC technology to produce a dynamic interactive signage solution for the leisure industry that is easy to set up and manage.

Signagelive’s management software removes the need for onsite hardware and brewery chains can run and manage campaigns either centrally or remotely via a PC, Smartphone or tablet. Campaigns can also be configured to dynamically update, depending factors such as the time of day or TV programmes being shown. It provides full support for different content formats including rolling images, nested playlists, video streaming, third-party party websites and Media RSS feeds. It also includes a number of innovative features such as drag and drop functionality and QR code support.

Its sophisticated reporting capabilities enable results to be monitored in real-time and campaigns can be quickly modified or removed if they are not working.

Future opportunities

ChallengerTEC is planning to introduce iVUTV to other markets such as retail to enable well-known brands to engage with their customers. The company has also held initial discussions with a major mobile broadband supplier about Smartphone vouchering services for different online packages.

Says Kevin McDaid, CEO of ChallengerTEC; “We selected Signagelive as a technology partner because of its highly regarded reputation in the market. Its expertise in digital signage and our ability to produce engaging content means that together we can make digital signage interactive. Their software allows us to easily promote our range of Apps to consumers which in turn allows them to engage with TV content such as football matches or horse racing in real-time, which is a powerful proposition to brands”

Says Jason Cremins, CEO of Signagelive: “We are delighted to be involved in such an innovative project. No other company has the ability to offer interaction with TV shows using a Smartphone. Our management software allows large chains to run and manage campaigns on national or pan-European scale depending on size because it is all cloud-based.”