I recently received an invitation to do an interview with Meevee's President Michael Raneri.

"Michael Raneri oversees all company operations as well as manages relationships with MeeVee's board of directors and investors. Michael is responsible for the creation and management of the company roadmap for product development, traffic growth, brand awareness and the overall financial growth of the business."

Meevee is an interesting new vertical search engine that searches TV listings. Imagine your local TV listings on overdrive and you'll have an idea of MeeVee. It gathers rich metadata from the broadcasters and presents them in an appealing Javascript rich environment. It just needs a little more integration into other devices but that's on the roll-out list says Michael.

Q: For the uninitiated - what is MeeVee doing?
With the official launch of our television search and discovery service, we're bringing consumers an exciting new way for them to search for and find something to watch. Our Internet destination MeeVee.com is a free service that brings traditional broadcast television, Internet TV content and iTunes TV program content together in one place so it's easy to find video and television programming of interest without having to weed through thousands of unrelated items that would be provided in a traditional search engine environment.

Q: Why do we need better program listings?
With the vastly expanding universe of television programming content, downloadable video content, and Internet TV channels, the programming universe has expanded far beyond the television screen in our living rooms. MeeVee helps consumers find something to watch in this maze of programming information, so no matter where the content is showing, MeeVee can find the specific content of interest to them. Today's broadly focused search engines aren't capable of providing the context sensitive, relevant search results needed to find television programming content of interest.

Q: Does MeeVee also search TV/Video as a file or just metadata?
Through the use of sophisticated algorithms, MeeVee optimizes the search for the specific vertical of TV data. MeeVee searches an enhanced version of the metadata that combines all of the information about a show (show title, genre, cast, segment information, etc.). The output is highly relevant search results focused on TV programming. MeeVee is much more than just a search engine though. We provide our users with a variety of ways to take action on the search results: add a show to your planner, add a show to your watchlist, share an email with your friend and customize the way you your view TV listings.

Q: What's MeeVee's relationship with broadcasters?
MeeVee has relationships with over 300 broadcasters and TV networks including ESPN, NBC, ABC, etc. We partner with the networks to secure access to their prospective programming content data, in advance of the program airing, and integrate real-time, up to the minute, show information into our search experience. For example, if Oprah decided to go on-air live with a special guest appearance by Jennifer Aniston, this programming information would be available to MeeVee minutes before the show aired. The TV programming information you receive on your television could have been downloaded to your cable or satellite box the night before and wouldn't have the most up to date show information included. Because of our relationships with the broadcasters/programmers, MeeVee can provide consumers with real-time searchable information about the topics, actors, or television programs they most want to watch.

Q: Will MeeVee enable viewing-on-demand of the featured channels in future?
MeeVee currently is beta testing the MeeVcast feature of the Meevee.com site which will allow users to be alerted to new on-demand video content, both from broadcast/programming partners and from other content providers. Currently MeeVee.com users can try the test area out to see upcoming trailers for new and existing programming.

Q: Why can I so far only see a handful of previews in MeeVee?
We continue to build out the site each month with new video previews and clips from our programming partners. As more and more programmers move their video content to the web, the number of video previews available on MeeVee.com will increase.

Q: Does MeeVee connect to my Tivo or can I use MeeVee as an EPG?
MeeVee is in discussion with several technology partners and plans to offer DVR integration via the MeeVee.com destination in the near future. In the meantime, site visitors can use the MeeVee guide to find specific programming of interest and create a weekly planner that will allow them to track programs of interest, share programs with friends and provide individual reviews of programs they have watched each week.

Q: How is the company financed right now?
MeeVee is privately funded. The company recently announced the closing of a $6.5 million Series B round of funding. Labrador Ventures led the round with additional investments from WaldenVC, Edmond de Rothschild Venture Capital Management and DEFTA Partners.

Q: How does the company make money and how should this evolve in future?
MeeVee's business model is built around direct contextual advertising and e-commerce opportunities on the MeeVee.com site. The company also generates revenue through the syndication and licensing of its television search service to newspaper portals, cable operators and other content providers.

Q: What is your most important lesson as an entrepreneur?
The most important thing I've learned as an entrepreneur is to keep a laser focus on the things that matter most. Everything I do has to build value to the consumer or value to the shareholders, and ideally, build value for both simultaneously.

Thanks Michael and Lisa for all your efforts.

Give MeeVee a try.