Imagine lying on the couch watching the latest episode of "Grey's Anatomy" when suddenly a catchy new song plays. You click on your TV remote, buy the song, and download the tune to your laptop - without missing a second of the melodrama on the screen.
Starting this spring, Backchannelmedia Inc. will be one step closer to making that a reality. During an initial launch in May, the Boston company will test a new technology on WCVB-TV Channel 5 that allows viewers to use their remotes to tag - or bookmark - Internet sites and products that are featured on TV so they can check them out later on their computers. In future versions, Backchannelmedia expects viewers will be able to purchase the products and services they see during their favorite TV shows and commercial breaks.
Media analysts say the service is expected to provide a key link between TV and the Internet at a time when companies have increasingly migrated their advertising dollars away from traditional mediums, like television, and toward the Internet. According to TNS Media Intelligence, online advertising soared 60 percent to nearly $10 billion between 2003 and 2006 while TV ads increased only 20 percent to $68 billion during the same period - the latest full-year numbers available.
Advertisers have leaned toward the Internet in part because search engine providers such as Google offer targeted advertising opportunities and provide detailed data on the number of people who click through ads. The television industry, meanwhile, has come under growing pressure to provide more accountability, especially with the growing popularity of ad-skipping devices like TiVo.
Backchannelmedia contends that its technology has the ability to undermine Google's growing grip on advertising dollars because it can send people directly to the website they are seeking, skipping search engines entirely, said Backchannelmedia founder Michael Kokernak.
"This is a solution for advertisers to get an immediate impact from television and not just rely on Nielsen ratings," said Bill Fine, general manager of WCVB. "We're interested to see how quickly the marketplace can adapt and how quickly consumers will embrace the technology."
Backchannelmedia is launching the pilot in 100 homes in May and plans to add about 10,000 households in the Boston area during the year-long market trial.
Viewers in these homes will see Channel 5 newscasts and commercials that feature icons, such as a shopping cart or a down arrow for downloads, on the lower right corner of the screen.
The initial 100 participants will be friends and family of employees of the two companies, and a market research firm is helping to identify other households as the project grows.
If they are interested, viewers can click on the icons and a box provided by Backchannelmedia will transfer the remote control clicks to a consumer portal where viewers can find a list of all the saved downloads and websites, such as a list of school closings and snowstorm details from Channel 5's Storm Team at TheBostonChannel.com.
Unlike some current efforts by cable companies and satellite providers to increase interactivity with consumers, Backchannelmedia's technology does not take viewers away from the programs - and instead allows people to check out content that appeals to them on their own schedule.
Meanwhile, Backchannelmedia's server simultaneously sends a click-through report to the advertisers so they can keep track of the success of their commercials.
About 25 local and national companies are in the process of signing contracts to advertise in the trial. Backchannelmedia would not disclose specific brands.
"The technology is really exciting. What they're doing is really bringing TV into the future and giving advertisers a better gauge to see how the ad is working," said Benjamin Ezrick, senior strategist of digital innovation at Ogilvy & Mather, an international advertising firm that represents clients such as Dove, American Express, and IBM. "Backchannel has the potential to slow the migration of ad dollars to the Internet, particularly for local television stations."
Ogilvy is looking to participate in the trial with its clients, but Ezrick declined to provide details.
If the Boston pilot is successful, Backchannelmedia says it is negotiating with cable and direct broadcast satellite providers to get its software downloaded into multichannel video boxes, in addition to the over the air digital market, so that a separate box would not be required and the technology could be available on multiple channels.
Backchannelmedia, meanwhile, is also in discussions with WJAR-TV Channel 10 in Providence about a potential trial in that market as well.
"A lot of advertisers are already using TV ads to push people to the Web, so this could make it one step easier," Lisa Churchville, general manager of WJAR-TV, said of the technology. "The real utility will be if you can generate more Internet shopping among consumers and that may or may not happen."
Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.
