• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, November 15, 2006

ReacTV, the interactive media venture led by attention-grabbing entrepreneur Frank Maggio, will undergo a soft launch Thursday in the Tampa, Fla. area. The channel promises consumers a chance to play games and compete for thousands of dollars in prizes, as well as earn rewards for viewing ads.

The delayed "beta" launch, about three months behind schedule, aims to test the venture's ability to simulcast TV and Web operations. It will run for an hour a day on cable operator Bright House Network and a broadband channel.

Maggio says he expects it to increase to seven hours a day by late January.

"There's some real technical hurdles we need to cross to synchronize Web and (TV feeds)," Maggio says.

Maggio added that ReacTV is in negotiations with a larger MSO than Bright House to bring the venture to another market starting in February, although he declined to provide any details.

Prizes won't be awarded until December as tests continue, Maggio says--and not fully until the Jan. 22 planned official launch.

The channel has been tested in recent months on a Bright House channel that has only been available to MSO and ReacTV's employees.

Florida-based Maggio has drawn attention for launching Nielsen challenger erinMedia. Nielsen has refused to provide ratings for ReacTV, and Maggio has threatened to take legal action.