Network Event Theater [NET]: An Interactive Theater

Network Event Theater (NET) was created as a vehicle to provide entertainment, distributed via satellite, to the college market. As Senior Vice President of Technical Operations, David Baker grew NET to a 40-site network of Digital Cinemas. His duties also included Executive Production of NET’s events. As Executive Producer, his credits include “Live with Oliver Stone” for the premiere of “U-Turn”, “Live with John Carpenter” for the premiere of “Vampires” and over thirty other live, interactive and taped for broadcast events. Playing a major role in the development of economic and technical models for NET provided Baker with a unique insight into how digital media would evolve.

In terms of entertainment value and excitement, interactive events became NET’s signature. These events were typically packaged around a premiere film or music concert. Typically, one NET venue would be used as a point of broadcast origination. That venue was outfitted with television broadcast and production equipment, and all needed personnel to deliver a professional production. Other theaters in the network were connected to the broadcast venue through an audio teleconferencing center. A typical interactive broadcast began with a hosts introduction and explanation of the event. In the case of a motion picture premiere, the movie would first be broadcast over satellite and shown electronically to the network audience. Following the movie, the audience would be returned live to the host. The host would then typically introduce the stars of the film live. During this portion of the show, audience members at the broadcast venue had the opportunity to walk up to microphones and interact with their favorite actors. At all other theaters across the network, audience members were able to speak with the actors live over the audio teleconferencing link. Needless to say, for the audience, the interactive element turned a simple premiere movie into the experience of a lifetime.