We at Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) are proud to announce that JoinTV, the TV-linked social interactive application that we developed, will play a key role in the disaster prevention and elderly protection program in Shikoku Island's Tokushima Prefecture.

JoinTV is an NTV-developed platform that links television programs to social media, giving audiences a brand new viewing experience. Launched in June 2012, JoinTV can be enjoyed through both smart phones and TV datacasting. Faced with the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake striking at any time, Tokushima Prefecture is taking preemptive measures to prevent any loss of life in the event of such a disaster. The prefecture is also taking steps to protect and ensure the wellbeing of its senior citizens. JoinTV is a highly versatile application that, when connected to TV sets via the internet and assimilated to the latest Information Communication Technology (ICT), is the ideal choice for Tokushima Prefecture's life-saving initiatives.

Demonstration experiments will be conducted in fiscal year 2013 by a consortium that includes Minami, a town in Tokushima Prefecture that has been selected as a model zone, NTV, and Shikoku Broadcasting. The consortium, which also includes NTT Geospace Corporation, Anan National College of Technology, TELECOMEDIA Inc., and NPO Green Valley Inc., is headed by Mr. Kamon Iizumi, governor of Tokushima Prefecture.

The consortium submitted its project proposal during the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Fiscal Year 2012 Supplementary Budget "Project to Promote ICT Town Development" public appeal, and was subsequently selected as a candidate trustee.

The following services will be made available to residents who register to JoinTV.

Disaster Reduction System during Actual Disasters and Evacuation Drills

1. Evacuation instructions displayed on TV screens, customized to suit the specific needs of each and every resident.
2. During disasters, predict whether a person is at home or not by using TV viewer data, and then create a map with the information, which is then instantly provided to local governments and other relevant parties for use during rescue operations.
3. Provide families and local governments with data on who is safe or not based on information gathered at evacuation centers and hospitals. This information will also be utilized for more efficient distribution of relief goods to evacuation centers and hospitals. Information will also be shared with other safety confirmation systems.

Regular Uses

4. Use TV viewer data to detect abnormalities in the homes of elderly citizens and notify social workers and family members living elsewhere.
5. Enable family members living elsewhere to send messages that are displayed on the TV screens of their elderly relatives. From their end, the elderly can easily respond by selecting standard phrases.

Revitalization of Local Economy

6. Residents can collect points by shopping at local stores and watching designated TV programs. Points can be exchanged for merchandise coupons geared towards stimulating the local economy.

Our plan for fiscal year 2014 and beyond is to build on this "Tokushima Model" by adding more regions and partner firms into the network, and eventually expanding it into a program that encompasses all of Japan.

About JoinTV

JoinTV was developed by NTV in 2012 with technical support from Facebook, Inc. It is the world's first TV program-linked social interactive viewing service. JoinTV uses datacasting technology and is therefore readily compatible with TV sets made for digital terrestrial broadcasts, making it a highly accessible platform that requires no additional equipment. Only in its second year, JoinTV has already had multiple successes in implementing initiatives that bridge television with second screens and SNS.
Note: JoinTV requires TV sets to be connected to the internet.

We at NTV are committed to fulfilling our social responsibility as a media organization. Using our industry-leading expertise in broadcasting and ICT, we will relentlessly pursue solutions to the various challenges that face our country.