TORONTO – It was one of those little drawbacks to satellite TV that customers didn’t realize until the switch was done: the localized weather info from The Weather Network or MétéoMédia wasn’t possible on the satellite platform.
That’s changed today.
Bell ExpressVu today launched The Weather Network Interactive and MétéoMédia Interactive Television, on-demand services that deliver localized weather information, personalized by consumers, for 200 cities across the country.
In addition to accessing current weather conditions, customers can access relevant, on-demand weather information such as Environment Canada weather alerts and long-term forecasts using their remote control.
"Though we still can’t forecast sunny skies whenever we want, The Weather Network Interactive and MétéoMédia Interactive are a way to give Canadians on-demand control of the weather, and find out where in the country the sun is shining," said Pat Button, vice-president, marketing, Bell ExpressVu, in a release. "These are Canada’s first 24/7 enhanced video iTV channels and they give our customers access to personalized, localized weather information, like long range forecasts, anytime they want."
Bell partnered with TWN and MétéoMédia owner Pelmorex Communications Inc., to build the channels. The service intuitively knows when to show personalized weather information in full screen format, or when the information should wrap the screen in an L-shape, providing a seamless experience for the viewer.
"We listen to our customers and work to continuously provide ways to meet their weather information requirements, like local forecasts, which are among the most popular pieces of programming on our networks," said Rick Ridgway, senior vice-president, The Weather Network and MétéoMédia.
The channels are available at no cost to all ExpressVu customers with an iTV enabled receiver, including the 3100, 3200, 4100, 5100, 5200, 5800, 5900 and 6100.
The interactive service will continue to evolve, and future plans include expanding the selection of the 200 Canadian cities currently available, and adding more localized weather information such as Pollen and UV forecasts.
