Major backers launch interactive TV service

by Hayley Pinkerfield, Revolution UK 23-Apr-07, 09:50

LONDON - The original investors in Skype, Joost, Google, Hotmail and Draper Richards have joined forces to launch a new venture, kyte.

Kyte is the first company to bring together user-generated content, mobile and TV. It allows people to create their own interactive TV channel on their website, blog, social network or mobile phone. Kyte is not a destination site, but aims to drive traffic to sites such as MySpace.

Users become their own channel "producer", customising their own TV channels. They can create real-time slide shows from their mobile camera and use instant messaging.

Kyte founder and CEO Daniel Graf said: "There is great potential to advertisers here. This is an ideal channel for brands to market their products to a highly targeted audience. The opportunity exists for brand channels, and fan channels building instant communities. Brands will have the luxury of viewing instant feedback following a new product launch, for example.

"The business model is comparable to ebay. We’ll start simply, with ad revenue and subscriptions on premium services, then build a marketplace. There has already been significant viral growth whilst Kyte has been in closed beta."

Kyte is backed by global investors including: Niklas Zennstrom's Atomico (co-founder of Skype and IPTV company Joost); Ron Conway (one of the original investors in Google, Ask Jeeves and Brightmail,); Tim Draper (Founder of Draper Richards Jurvetson and original investor in Hotmail, Baidu, and Overture) and Howard Hartenbaum of Draper Richards, (responsible for the founding investment in Skype).