Bruce Leichtman of Yankee Group says the battle over HDTV is also caught in a fight between the networks and their affiliates who are not anxious to broadcasting the digital signals if no one is watching. But until the economic argument for turning on the HDTV switch becomes more compelling, analysts say, most affiliates will continue to sit on the sidelines. The star, an animated creature who is called Zoboo for short, aims to reach the kids audience. The November PBS documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright took a different approach to interactivity. Data was transmitted simultaneously as the documentary aired and stored on computer hard disk drives.
Digital television offers many possibilities for interactivity.
Broadcasters can transmit full shopping catalogs for clothing, music or other products featured in a program. They can provide alternate camera angles at sports events. Viewers can be offered rewards for staying through the end of the program. Appearing with Bill Cosby and others at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' event, he said TV programming has come a long way since his childhood days in terms of diversity, but he added it still has a long way to go. Chairman Kennard stressed that children's programs should feature more minorities.