Interactive TV and radio

Text messaging or SMS is a popular tool when media companies and their TV hosts want to interact with their listeners and viewers. A new agreement ensures that Unwire’s rock-solid SMS solution will remain the focal point of mobile interactivity for Denmark’s leading public service enterprise.

For the past four years, Unwire’s SMS gateway and messaging platform has helped Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) by facilitating even closer contact with listeners and viewers. Following a successful bid in a tender competition, Unwire will continue to provide SMS gateway services and administrate SMS services for the leading media enterprise in Demark for the next four years.

Unwire’s solution makes it possible to manage and integrate SMS dialogue real-time in all aspects of TV and radio programmes. This includes everything from high-profile X-Factor votes to daily mood surveys on morning radio and listener interaction for more easy listening evening radio. “The new agreement is the result of a major invitation to tender, where we were up against a number of suppliers of mobile services in Denmark. Our extremely stable and tested technology emerged the winner from this competition. We have had an excellent collaboration with the client all along, and we are of course very pleased that this collaboration is set to continue for another four years,” says Adam Gravesen, Nordic Sales Manager at Unwire.

All services linked to a particular SMS code will be provided on Unwire’s technological platform. This applies for example to interaction with radio and TV programmes, voting on live programmes and major TV shows, breaking news via SMS, etc. Adam Gravesen believes that the new agreement is proof that Unwire is fulfilling its own ambition, i.e. to deliver a strong and very dynamic SMS product to the media world, which also has an extremely solid and easy administration platform.

SMS preferred to apps

One of the strengths of the SMS-based model that Unwire offers is that it can be used by a high proportion of the media companies’ audiences. Because, although smartphones and associated apps are currently experiencing a real boom, according to Adam Gravesen for the media it is a question of reaching out to as broad a target audience as possible.

“SMS is still a major force in the market. Although apps are attracting the most attention, SMS services remain the way forward if you want to reach out to a broad audience and give all your viewers and listeners the opportunity to participate in the programmes,” he says. He is referring to the market for mobile tickets for trains and buses, amongst other things. It is SMS technology that initially makes the most sense here too. “Everyone who has a mobile phone must be able to take part if we really want to break through. Because until smartphones achieve total saturation, the low threshold practical solutions will be the solutions that make the most business sense, regardless of whether you are a public service media enterprise or a major transport company,” explains Adam Gravesen.