Eckoh Technologies To Provide Telephony-based Voting Capabilities for Interactive TV Program

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, ENGLAND - Eckoh Technologies, a European voice application service provider, announced it has been appointed by Endemol UK Productions and the BBC to provide all telephony-based voting capabilities for "Restoration," the landmark interactive TV program dedicated to saving one of 30 historic and architecturally important buildings at risk across the UK. Throughout the 10 part series presented by Griff Rhys Jone celebrity advocates will present their case for their chosen building to the viewers. Each week viewers will vote between three buildings, and the winning building each week is then put forward to the grand final to be held at the Tower of London, where viewers will vote between 10 buildings to choose the building they wish to be restored. Eckoh will provide one-number for viewer voting, enabling the BBC to consistently promote each show throughout the series across multiple media, and channel viewer voting toward one number. Eckoh, with the ability to terminate up to 500,000 calls per hour, together with BBC Worldwide Audiocall's advice on crucial policy, legal and regulatory considerations, were the supplier of choice to deliver the level of capacity BBC and Endemol UK Productions require for this high-profile project. Eckoh will also handle donations and transcription for "Restoration." Calls will be charged at 30p, with a minimum of 17.9p from each phone call to vote going toward the restoration of the winning building, alongside donations, grants and sponsorship. Paul Scott, managing director of the IVR division at Eckoh Technologies, said: "This is a superb opportunity for Eckoh to participate in such an important charity event. Our ability to manage significant prime-time call volumes and voting for high profile programmes such as "Restoration" makes us an ideal partner for successful interactive viewer-response television." Peter Cowley, director of Interactive Media at Endemol UK adds: "Eckoh worked closely with Endemol UK to provide a unique creative solution for the "Restoration" project, incorporating mass call handling, the processing of donations including transcriptions together with real-time reporting. With Eckoh's extensive experience in delivering successful audience participation programming and ability to provide a complete packaged interactive call handling solution made them the leading supplier for "Restoration". Andrea Miller, head of Factual Programming at BBC Scotland and executive producer of Restoration for BBC, commented: "Eckoh's ability to provide mass telephone voting will give our viewers the chance to save a historic building. We hope people will phone in and vote in their millions because every vote provides a contribution to The Restoration Fund."