TORONTO – Rogers TV and Interactive Ontario are teaming up to challenge developers, creatives and hackers to rethink and rebuild the community TV experience during a weekend hackathon set for January 16 – 18 in Toronto.
Hackathons are events where participants learn new skills and build things with technology over a 24 to 36 hour time period. Attendees are encouraged to solve meaningful problems with their projects, but are free to express their creativity through technology however they wish. Hackathons allow creative expression through technology and act as learning environments where participants can collaborate with mentors and learn new technologies.
The Rogers TV Hackathon will be held in downtown Toronto at Bento Miso collaborative workspace, and $1,500 in prize money is up for grabs along with a one-of-a-kind sculpture commissioned by Ottawa scrap metal artist and sculptor Tick Tock Tom. A Rogers TV crew will be on hand to produce a special on hack culture and the hacking community in Toronto.
“Conventional television is undergoing a huge transformation driven by mobile technology. The Rogers TV Hackathon is our way of reaching out to the digital development community and including it in the ongoing evolution of community television,” said Colette Watson, VP television and operations at Rogers Media, in the news release. “Going forward, community TV must expand and be available on additional digital and mobile platforms. Involving the community in content development is a key part of our mandate. I believe that can and should extend to how the content is produced and how it’s distributed.”
Rogers TV is only available to Rogers’ customers, including the company's 2.2 million cable customers in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
