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Second-Screen Apps Penetrating Consumer Living Rooms

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By Aldo Cugnini

zeebox, a UK-based startup, has launched a second-screen app in partnership with some of the most influential media companies in television. In an unprecedented alliance, Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, HBO and Cinemax are all teaming with zeebox in an endorsement of a universal, cross-channel TV viewing companion app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, and the Web. zeebox enables consumers to discover what to watch by browsing comprehensive TV listings, social media and personalized recommendations. The company expects further partners to be invited.

zeebox’s cloud-based app recognizes the context of what its users are watching and enhances the viewing experience with relevant content and experiences from across the Web, TV programmers, social networks and advertisers. Viewers can engage with their favorite television personalities directly through zeebox and even buy the products they see on TV. zeebox also automatically displays more in-depth information about the programs as viewers are watching.

As strategic launch partners, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal are backing zeebox with investments and promotional support, and are preparing to enhance hundreds of their top TV shows on zeebox, including the The Voice and Notre Dame Football. zeebox’s OpenBox API allows content owners to enhance their shows and channels on the zeebox app in a matter of hours, distributing exclusive content to consumers, connecting directly with fans through live interactions and social engagement, and monetizing the second screen alongside TV commercials through synchronized, targeted, relevant advertising and affiliate links. HBO is the exclusive premiere network partner of zeebox, bringing original programming to the social discovery platform as well as from sister network Cinemax.

zeebox’s proprietary consumer research says that up to 70 percent of U.S. television viewers are interested in the feature set that zeebox provides. According to the company, the market for second-screen TV apps has been evolving rapidly but remains highly fragmented; while consumers today are using different apps and web services for discovery, social engagement and interactivity, zeebox brings all these features together in a single app.

Last year, Disney released their Second Screen app that allows an iPad or computer to interact with a Blu-ray movie. After starting the movie on their Blu-ray player, tablet and computer users can explore interactive galleries, check out activities, learn facts about the scenes they’re watching, connect to social media and similar activities.

Perhaps the biggest headstart in this space is enjoyed by Shazam, the music-centric Automatic Content Recognition service started some four years ago. Shazam now sees an estimated 10 million new tags a day, and two million new users are said to sign up for Shazam every week. The company recently began to expand into the TV space and is now able to identify almost any show on over 160 U.S. TV channels.

All of these apps and services are aimed at a single result: keeping viewers engaged with the primary screen content, even if it’s supplemented by a second screen. To be sure, the side-channel material is an added production expense for the content owner/distributors, but holding on to the viewer, and augmenting the grab with other revenue generators — e-commerce, banner ads, etc. — is the gamble they’re all taking.

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