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        It's an exciting time for all of us at TitanTV.  Last week at NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) in Las Vegas, we launched our TitanCast platform and became the first network on the internet for local television stations and other local media. For months, Jack Perry and I have been giving you glimpses of what the new TitanTV is all about: the new channels, the no-brainer infrastructure that gets affiliates up and running in hours, the revenue-share model that finally allows stations to fully monetize their brand--beyond news, weather and traffic--on the internet, the electronic program guide that comes alive with suggestions and ideas, the original and third-party content that keeps people on local sites longer, making them a magnet for local advertisers.

        Even in the blizzard of announcements that accompany NATPE and other trade shows, the TitanTV story stood out.  The newspaper of record, The New York Times, in a piece devoted to television shows migrating online, focused on what we're doing:

        "And TitanTV, a technology vendor turned media company, introduced a platform this week to attach local commercials to online video clips, whether the viewer is in San Diego or Syracuse.

        'We're enabling broadcasters to say to their viewers, ‘If you want to search for videos, watch videos, become fans of particular shows, we want you to do that through us,' ' said Mark Effron, TitanTV's President and COO. The company is also producing short-form series and has the online rights to two shows: "Jury Duty" and "Animal Rescue."

        The success or failure of stations' online ventures will ultimately rest on their promotional abilities. Viewers of local TV are often reminded to go online for weather and traffic updates, but often they go to the site of their local newspaper instead. And when they want to see television shows online, they gravitate toward the networks' Web sites.

       'Local TV is being squeezed and being left out of online revenue growth,' Mr. Effron said. 'But stations are leaving money on the table by not optimizing their Web sites.' "

        This week's TelevisionWeek, an authoritative trade magazine, noted that while there was a mixed reaction by conference-goers to NATPE overall, the digital aspect of the event had taken on new prominence. Again, TitanTV was singled out:

        "Companies with a vested interest in local TV, such as NBC Local Media and TitanTV, are trying to adapt. TitanTV is best known for its online program guide, which is used by more than 1,000 local station Web sites to offer TV listings. In a bid to remain relevant to stations, TitanTV said at NATPE it has overhauled the listings to include original online video. The new service includes a video player that will connect and play the existing news and weather video on TV station sites, and will include syndicated content TitanTV produces for the Web, such as comedy sketches, movie reviews and green-centric short programming, TitanTV offers the video player for free and makes money on an ad share.

        'TV stations are not in the battle right now on the Web,' said Mark Effron, president of Titan TV. 'TV stations need to do a better job of getting people to come to their sites. News, weather, traffic are only drivers when there is a big story.'

        Already, TitanTV's station clients have begun to transition to the new guide and video player, Mr. Effron said."

        Influential online media newsletter Cynopsis Digital made the TitanTV launch its second top story:

        "Local station technology solutions provider TitanTV has transformed itself into a full service online video platform, offering stations daily video content affiliates can stream and sell to on their local sites. Stations can link to a VOD portal featuring short-form original shows like Titan Greens, offering environmental news with a pop cultural twist or RevYou, a weekly man-on-the street movie commentary show that interviews moviegoers as they come out of the theater. TitanTV also relaunched its listings grid, adding daily video recommendations."

        The MediaPost family of publications wrote about our coming out in the following manner:

        "WEB CONTENT COMPANY TITANTV IS introducing a new syndication model with an assortment of professionally produced and original content videos, along with an embeddable video player for local TV affiliates' Web destinations.

        With the major networks monopolizing programming for their Web sites, local television stations are facing a whole new set of problems," explained Jack Perry, TitanTV founder and CEO. 'What we are doing now at TitanTV with our online video player and free original content can help affiliates both compete and succeed in the digital space.'

        TitanTV Media was formed early last year when a syndicate led by Turnstone Capital, CBC New Media, and an institutional investor acquired a controlling interest in a company named Decisionmark Corp. from Gazette Communications. Before that, Decisionmark provided technology and data for the broadcast industry.

        Now a bona fide content company, it programming ranges from syndicated shows like "Animal Rescue" and "Jury Duty" to original programming produced by Titan itself.

        The company's model also allows content produced by individual local stations to be repurposed by other stations in different markets.

        'Stations were leaving money on the table by not optimizing their Web sites,' said Mark Effron, who was recently brought on as TitanTV's chief operating officer and president. 'Better content means more users. More users mean more money for stations.'

        The TitanTV player will be populated with dedicated channels for each genre of programming. The company, meanwhile, is busy producing a number of compelling original Web "channels" and shows. "

        It wasn't just the mainstream press or the trade journals and web sites that were taken by our story. Tech blog mashable.com did a podcast on TitanTV, which was linked to a number of other tech blogs. 

        I am happy to report that all of this coverage has resulted in a deluge of interest and new business. Stay tuned for affiliate announcements as the TitanCast network grows.  If you're interested in finding out how your station or group of stations can come on board, just drop me a line at mark.effron@titantv.com.