News

TAP.tv unveils video-sharing service for bar networks

February 19, 2007

BURR RIDGE, Ill. — TAP.tv announced a new video sharing service that goes beyond the Internet to let customers play personal videos on TVs in bars.

TAP.tv began rolling out its bar network in Chicago last summer. To its menu of extreme sports, comedy, fantasy stats, games and news, it now adds personal video content.

"Web-based video sharing has become tremendously popular," said John Malec, founder of TAP.tv. "But, groups of friends would also like to socialize by watching the same video together at the same place and time, interacting beyond their PCs."

As with other video-sharing sites, users visit a Web site to upload their video and review and share clips. Via a simple text message command in any TAP.tv bar, they now can also play their video on TV.

"Every sports bar has weekly college and pro games," said Michael Gonzalez, manager of the John Barleycorn's chain in Chicago. "But this new service allows my customers to record and share highlights of their own weekly softball games, try their hand at stand-up comedy, or impress their friends with their stupid human tricks. It personalizes the bar experience, and encourages use of the bar as a meeting place."

With 36 TVs in Barleycorn's bars, there are still plenty of screens showing games and TAP.tv's other content.

In addition to regular broadcast TV, TAP's venues also run TAP X-treme and TAP Tunes, where patrons select clips on demand using text messaging. TAP Time replaces boring half times with local comedy; TAP Sports gives real-time fantasy updates, trivia, bloopers and games. TAP News optimizes Associated Press RSS/XML news and video feeds to create a continuous automated televised headline news service without the talking heads.