New mobile TV technology launched by never.no is to allow viewers of TV2 in Norway to interact with viewers of the 96th annual Tour de France bicycle race.

Able to function with traditional TV, Web TV, IPTV, and mobile TV platforms, the never.no product suite powers interactive TV formats and entire channels and allows viewers to participate through mobile phones and the Internet.

The Norwegian broadcaster says that it will be the first in the world to give viewers the chance to experience the event interactively with one another and with commentators. Using Twitter, other Web interfaces, and text or image messages from their mobile phones, viewers will be able to post photos, comment on the action, and respond to polls or questions posed by the broadcaster or by other viewers - with their input taking effect on Web and broadcast television in almost real time.

For its Tour de France coverage, TV 2 will rely on never.no's Interactivity Suite, four software applications that enable media owners to integrate user-submitted content into their programming, track viewers/consumers from medium to medium, communicate with them individually, and tailor content to suit them.

"With the Tour de France this year, Norway's largest commercial broadcaster will become - as far as we know - the first sports broadcaster in the world to fully integrate and synchronise viewer interaction through mobile phones (SMS/MMS), Twitter, Web chats, Web TV, and broadcast television," said Lars Lauritzsen, never.no CEO. "We expect that avid fans' ability to express themselves in 'conversation' with other fans and with TV experts will create a unified social experience, transforming the disorganized cycle racing fan base into a loyal TV 2 sports community."