televoting

Televoting is a voting method used in television. As a broadcast service, television is not interactive, which means that the viewer generally has no return channel and cannot send any information to the broadcast center.

Only DigitalVideo Broadcast( DVB) has several variants that can form a return channel with the Multimedia Home Platform( MHP), through which the keystrokes of the remote control are transmitted.

Otherwise, with televoting or telephone voting, the only option is to set up a return channel via a telephone or mobile network and use it to cast the vote. In televoting, TV viewers are asked to vote. They have to express their opinion by means of a number that they have to send to a specific telephone number or by means of a telephone number set up specifically for this purpose. Alternatively, the short message service( SMS) can be used via mobile networks.

As a rule, chargeable service numbers such as 0137 are used as the telephone number for the return channel, as this can be used to cover costs or even generate a cost surplus.