Living Health TV Wins International Media Award

Living Health, the interactive digital health TV service, has won a top prize at the prestigious 10th International EMMA (Electronic Multimedia) Awards in Hamburg, Germany.

The service was Voted "best interactive TV service" by a panel of 50 global industry experts, beating interactive media services from over 40 countries.

Living Health is currently delivering the service in the UK through Telewest Broadband, using the innovative iSeeTV technology from Media Logic. Interactive media services from over 40 countries competed for this honor.

The service provides public healthcare services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to households in the Birmingham area, with the pilot program recently extended

At-home consumers speak directly with a ‘live’ nurse by phone, who is visible on their TV screens. The nurse can display photos, graphs and videos as part of the private consultation which doesn’t require users to have a computer.

Since iSeeTV sends a unique signal to each home, no one else sees the transmission.

With over 21,000 pages of accredited information and advice from the NHS, Living Health improves access to healthcare services and offers the ability to make doctor’s appointments, if necessary.

EMMA jury chair Clare Rees said: "Living Health stood out because of the way it combined a simple layout and easy navigation with depth and scope of content. Considering the size and complexity of the service, this is quite an achievement."

Ronnette Lucraft, general manager of Living Health states: "This is a great achievement for Living Health. We’ve worked hard to produce an interactive service, in partnership with the NHS, that delivers medical information and advice to make a difference in people’s lives."

Glyn Radcliffe-Brine, executive vice-president of Media Logic, adds: "iSeeTV is ideal for the Living Health project. Health is a personal subject, and nothing beats the human touch when you need medical advice and reassurance."

Awarded by the not-for-profit EMMA Foundation, which promotes the best practices in interactive media, the International EMMAs recognize excellence in digital media content creation through best practice and ongoing educational programs.

A joint study by the Myers Group and eMarketer estimates that the worldwide market for interactive digital TV will be worth over $7.5 billion by 2003, growing to $32 billion by 2006.