Member News

Grabyo, the real-time TV clip-sharing platform, is today launching its offering for broadcasters with Sky’s coverage of transfer deadline day. Grabyo Studio, which enables broadcasters to grab, edit and share TV clips in real-time across social media and their own websites, will be used by Sky Sports to drive online conversation around one of the biggest days in the football calendar.

Following the recent launch of its consumer-facing TV clip-sharing platform, Grabyo Studio now enables broadcasters to select and share TV clips in real-time via a browser-based interface. Clips can be previewed and edited before being shared with hashtags and a description across Twitter, Facebook and their own websites. Thanks to Grabyo’s integration with Twitter, users can view clips as Twitter cards without leaving Twitter, as well as directly within Facebook’s newsfeed.

Grabyo Studio’s focus is on simplicity, ease and speed – ensuring that broadcasters are the first to share clips, enabling them to drive social media engagement and grow both their linear and on-demand TV audiences. Leveraging the viral reach of both Twitter and Facebook, Grabyo Studio ensures clips are seen and shared by as many viewers as possible. In addition, Grabyo Studio’s integrated ad serving also enables monetisation of the online conversation around shows, via a branded TV clip experience with video ads.

With its launch today on transfer deadline day, one of the biggest days in the football calendar, Sky Sports is using Grabyo Studio to share breaking news and other clips from its rolling nationwide coverage in real-time on Twitter, Facebook and skysports.com. Clips also feature Sky Sports subscription ads.

“We’re really excited to be launching Grabyo Studio on transfer deadline day, one of the most important dates in the football calendar and a major social media event,” comments Will Neale, founder at Grabyo. “The real-time nature of our platform drives conversation by helping broadcasters publish live TV content onto these platforms faster than ever before.

Broadcasters not only retain ownership of their content by releasing it before others, but also have the opportunity to monetise it with ads. We’re working with a number of broadcasters to launch real-time clip sharing on a wide variety of programmes in the coming months.”

Mobile Messaging and Mobile Billing specialist, Dialogue Communications, announces its partnership with Pouncer Media to provide the mobile payments service for the last-minute discount dining service TablePouncer. Expanding upon TablePouncer.com’s existing web-based service, Pouncer Media has integrated Dialogue’s Payforit UK service into their mobile app to allow consumers to purchase dining deals at local restaurants, on the move.

TablePouncer, which has just this week launched its first mobile app on iOS and Android, offers exclusive deals by allowing consumers the opportunity to enjoy the finest local restaurants at discounted and affordable prices, whilst benefitting businesses by attracting new customers and increasing fill rates. Founded in 2011 in Bournemouth, TablePouncer has since launched in Bristol, Bath, Brighton & Hove, Southampton and most recently in London in July 2013.

The service allows restaurants to freely advertise last-minute deals to customers on the website, who after a simple registration process can book reservations easily and securely through TablePouncer.com and save up to 65%. When TablePouncer users book a table online or through their mobile app they will be charged a booking fee per person using Dialogue’s UK Payforit service. This charge will be applied directly to the consumer’s mobile phone bill, who in return will receive an exclusive deal, such as 65% off their food bill or a special set menu deal.

The TablePouncer mobile app has been developed in response to increased demand from consumers to book tables via their mobile phones – last month alone over 27,000 visits to TablePouncer.com were from iOS devices and 10,000 from Android. The new TablePouncer app featuring Dialogue’s Payforit UK service, allows users to book last-minute discounted tables at the touch of a button. Thanks to integrated geo-sense technology, an SMS message will be automatically sent to mobile users when they walk within 250m of restaurants featured on the TablePouncer app, ensuring users never miss the best deals in their area.

“The launch of our mobile app and partnership with Dialogue means we can provide our customers with even easier access to our service using safe and trusted mobile platform technologies. Users just need their mobile phone to search, book and make a payment. Our aim is to make TablePouncer as user-friendly and convenient for customers as possible, saving them both money and time. Working with Dialogue is yet another step to ensuring the user-experience is the best on the market. ” says Phil Lewis, COO, TablePouncer.com.

TablePouncer is also investing heavily into a large-scale marketing campaign, worth £250,000, across the UK and includes bespoke in-carriage Tube promotion across the London Underground network. This will also see the delivery of a targeted SMS and digital campaign.

Paul Garner, Head of Global Sales at Dialogue Communications, adds: “We are delighted to be working with Pouncer Media, and since TablePouncer’s successful launch in London and the launch of the mobile app, we’re incredibly excited about the future. We’re confident that this partnership will help promote our Payforit service as users become increasingly familiar with the mobile payment platform.”

Unloc, a specialist in cloud-based industry solutions, is using C3’s Fusion IVR Software to develop new services for its target markets in Real Estate, Education, Healthcare, Hospitality, Banking, Insurance and Retail.

Unloc, whose name stands for Universal language of communication, specialises in Vertical Applications as Service ( VaaS ) solutions that improve business processes within specific industry segments.

Deploying its vertical applications worldwide is a strategy that Unloc is committed to.

The company is currently using Hosted Fusion IVR to develop a unique self-service application for its customers in the UK Real Estate market, which will be rolled out to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Dubai.

“With Fusion IVR, it is easy to design advanced call applications and make changes to any existing services,” said Anand Babu – Product Development Manager.

“The software supports us in getting our innovative applications to market quickly, ensuring that our clients always remain one step ahead of the competition.”

Fusion is a game-changing IVR scripting tool that makes it possible to design advanced IVR services within minutes, using the intuitive drag and drop tool and extensive function ( node ) library to establish the call flow.

“We are all praises for Fusion IVR, for its seamless integration with third party voice and SMS gateways. We will be recommending C3 and Fusion to our own clients for voice-based self-service.”

Square1 Communications Ltd, a leading fixed line and mobile solutions provider to both enterprises and media companies, will see the launch of its new mobile SMS / MMS chat platform known as MESSAGE²

After the news that one of the UK’s largest SMS aggregators was to cease supporting its PSMS chat platform, Square1 brought forward the launch of MESSAGE² to assist several companies that had been given notice that their current service was to end within an agreed period of time.

Square1 are working closely with these companies and the aggregator to ensure a seamless transition in all aspects of service from maintaining billing continuity, user experience and the provision of a platform that gives the clients the flexibility and service required now and in the future.

Mark Birkett, Sales Director commented: “We moved the launch of our MESSAGE² platform forward by several months to fit in with the urgent needs of these companies, I have been very impressed with the flexibility and hard work that the team at SQ1 have put in to meet the difficult deadline. Not only have we managed to meet the launch dates on time but we have also added many new features into our offering that have been requested and needed by many of those already operating in the text chat sector.

Leading mobile billing and messaging provider txtNation announces its acquisition of mobile entertainment outfit 24GMedia.

24GMedia, with headquarters in the UK and South Africa, designs, integrates and maintains consumer-focussed mobile payment apps for top-fight brands such as Pizza Hut and leading operators in online gambling. It specialises in solutions for selling digital and physical goods in a safe, secure and simple manner.

The direct relations and first tier operator connectivity assets of 24GMedia immediately expands txtNation’s existing global platform and is another step in the company’s drive towards bolstering its direct relations with MNOs in its home market.

txtNation’s platform, which recently celebrated its first decade, provides billing access to over 80 mobile operators around the world through a single API and a further 200 for messaging. The acquisition gives txtNation further access to 24GMedia’s strong relationships with MNOs in the UK and beyond to increase value and scalability for its clients.

This deal solidifies work undertaken over the last several months between the two companies, who share a vision for empowering businesses with frictionless mobile billing and messaging solutions that are consumer friendly and highly adaptive.

Commenting on the deal, 24GMedia founder Matt Barbieri says “our combined resources and mobile expertise provides merchants with a unique opportunity to integrate the latest mobile billing technologies with consumer services ahead of competitors. Clients will now have access to a full range of mobile services through a single API lowering development costs and go-live lead times.”

txtNation CEO, Michael Whelan, was upbeat about the synergies between the two companies: “txtNation’s proven track record in the industry as a leading aggregator on a global scale and with consistent year-on-year growth, together with 24GMedia’s expertise for cutting edge solutions like Payforit and other first-to-market mobile payment services makes this deal very exciting for us. The acquisition gives us improved quality and reach for our clients looking to service the UK and South Africa across Direct Billing and Premium SMS. Clients of txtNation will benefit from improved Payforit rates and connectivity options.”

Key personnel from 24GMedia will remain with txtNation to work on evolving its flagship mobile billing and messaging platform.