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China has introduced two new television policies which are likely to have a direct impact on advertising expenditure in 2012, says IHS Screen Digest. China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has ordered all regional satellite TV stations to air news programmes in place of their current shows between the hours of 7.30pm and 10pm.

ESPN has tasked media discovery company Shazam with supplying additional content to its coverage of the Winter X Games Aspen 2012. When winter sports fans use Shazam to tag the live telecast they will be able to access video highlights, photos, results and music, as well as connect to related social media.

Channel 4 Education is launching SuperMes, an online drama featuring virtual actors. The cast will improvise, taking direction from the production team, which will capture the action in the style of an observational documentary, where the action emerges from the ‘interplay of improvising artificial intelligences’.

Media discovery outfit Shazam is integrating Shazam for TV into a number of US shows, including Being Human on Syfy, E!’s The Soup and USA’s Psych.

Converse’s music recording studio Rubber Tracks has gone on the road, with the cool apparel brand shooting a multi-episode series starring touring bands on their way to the studio. The show, the Rubber Meets the Road, features a tour of a band’s hometown and their experiences on the road to Brooklyn (home to Rubber Tracks).

Power To The Pixel is back with the third iteration of its cross-media course, The Pixel Lab, in Potsdam, Germany, at the beginning of July. Participants will develop the skills to create, finance and distribute cross-media stories spanning any combination of film, interactive, live event, mobile, gaming, TV, publishing and online.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas clearly revealed that the TV industry is changing rapidly and video content is shifting from computers to television sets, says Shirlene Chandrapal*.

From voice and gesture command technology, personalised content discovery to tailored advertising experiences based on preferences, CES exhibitors proved that TV is becoming increasingly interactive.  Manufacturers are beginning to think about how TV interacts with other devices, for example using a tablet or mobile as a remote control and incorporating social media into the viewing experience.

Red Bull US has allied with NBC Sports to develop 35 hours of sports action, including snowboarding, mountain biking, motocross, ice cross, skiing and BMX events in 2012. Included in the mix are more than 20 of Red Bull’s get-together’s such as X-Fighters, Supernatural, Crashed Ice, Dream Line, Rampage and Cold Rush