SMT’s GOTO Board^® Instantly Connects Celebrities to the Home Audience

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation), the award-winning and leading provider of data integration, graphics presentation and video enhancement solutions for the sports and entertainment industries, today announced it will provide the underlying technology to integrate social media into the June 26 live broadcast of the “BET Awards ’11.” Dubbed as the event where “social media meets music mania,” the show will be hosted by Kevin Hart.

During the pre-, live, and post-shows, fans’ photos, tweets and Facebook postings will be broadcast in real-time on SMT’s 103-inch interactive GOTO Board^®, supplying visual content that will allow celebrities in the back-stage Ford Social Media Lounge to instantly interact with fans after receiving their awards. The star-studded show will feature performers such as Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Drake and Lil Wayne.

This unprecedented level of real-time interaction is made possible by SMT’s signature Data Matrix Switchboard^®, or DMX, which absorbs, organizes and distributes social media posts, then displays them on SMT’s GOTO Board, operated by the hosts. The DMX Switchboard will display tweets and messages on the lower third of viewers’ TV screens during the pre- and post-shows.

Fans posting messages will be rewarded with the opportunity to win a 2012 Ford Focus by pre-registering at BET.com and then following BET on Twitter and “liking” BET on Facebook. During the live show, a message will be chosen at random and that fan will win the Focus. The giveaway will be teased during the evening on the GOTO Board with video clips of the Focus.

“SMT’s latest real-time initiative has the potential to create viral conversations that enhance audience engagement and drive ratings,” said Patricia G. Hopkins, vice president of marketing for SMT. “What used to be next-day water-cooler talk is now transformed into a live on-air dialogue that everyone can participate in, regardless of geographic location. Brands, like Ford, now have the chance to get into those conversations in ways never seen before.”

Founded in 1988, SMT is the pioneer in real-time delivery of data and social media for live television sports and entertainment TV. The 20-time Emmy-winning company specializes in relevant, user-friendly technology that connects the home viewer to the world of live events with real-time social and digital media tools, including clock-and-score, real-time tickers, graphical presentations, virtual imaging and its interactive GOTO touch screen, resulting in an enhanced live event platform for fans.

“SMT is our go-to resource for cutting-edge technology for live events,” said Wayne Brooks, senior director of studio and special programming for BET. “We’ve had abundant success with the work SMT has done with ‘106 & Park’ and we’re excited to carry that level of expertise to our live awards show. This is using social media in a way it’s never been used before in the history of the BET Awards.”

The 2011 BET Awards pre-show will be aired at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 26, followed by the live awards show at 8 p.m. and the post-show at 10 p.m.

About SMT

SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation), headquartered in Durham, NC, is a leading provider of graphics, statistics and video enhancement software and services for live television sports and entertainment broadcasts. Founded in 1988, SMT pioneered the first real-time scoring and wireless data system. SMT continues to develop and deliver customized products and services to enhance the production quality and viewers' experience of sports and entertainment events. The company has won 20 Emmy awards since 1993. SMT’s solutions have been used at the most prestigious live events including the Kentucky Derby , the Super Bowl, NBC Sunday Night Football, the Indianapolis 500, the NCAA Final Four, ESPN Summer and Winter X Games, NBA on TNT, NASCAR and NHL. SMT’s customers include all major broadcast television companies as well as several regional and specialty sports networks. For more information, visit www.smt.com.

CONTACT:

SMT
Carol Jenkins, 919-354-4717
Communications Manager
c.jenkins@smt.com

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