Current TV is a television and Internet company that features content made in collaboration with its audience. It was founded by former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore, and received an Emmy Award in 2007 for best interactive programming.
After the initial launch in 2005, the company's website relaunched in October 2007 with a greater focus on user participation, using Digg style voting and social networking to make the web site stand on its own, with or without the television channel. Since then, the Internet audience has grown to over 1.6 million unique viewers. The TV channel is currently available in over 56 million households through DIRECTV, DISH Network, Comcast Digital, Time Warner Digital, and AT&T; U-Verse.
Current TV features numerous ways for users to participate in both the web site and the television channel. Beyond just reading and watching, people can also leave text or video comments, add content from other sites on the web, or create and upload their own original creations. Over 30% of the content on the television channel comes from viewers and visitors to the web site.
Fast Facts:
- Founder: Al Gore
- CEO: Joel Hyatt
- Launched: August, 2005
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Targeted age group: 18-34
- Unique users: Over 120 Million per month
- 2007 Sales: 63.8 Million
- Number of Employees: 391
- It is reported that the company filed for IPO in an effort to raise $100 million
- Proposed NASDAQ stock ticker symbol: CRTM
- Television and web site programming is synchronized
- V-casts allow users to submit self-made commercials for the company's advertisers
- Show producers are known to solicit ideas from site members when preparing an upcoming show
- Approximately 30% of Current programming is user created
- Won Emmy for interactive television programming
Detained Reporters
Two reporters for Current TV, Euna Lee and Laura Ling have been detained in North Korea. The state accusation allege that the two reporters entered the country illegally and intended to commit hostile acts on the state. The country is currently preparing for their trail. The reporters have been detained in the country since March 17, 2009.CNN.com: Report: North Korea planning... (March 30, 2009)
