New trend that I am noticing on synchronous companion TV app that tap into the social TV boom and to offer immersive TV experience. Rationale behind these apps is to allow viewers to deepen their engagement with the program without cluttering the main screen and use additional devices – laptops, smartphones and increasingly tablets – to enhance their home viewing experience. The app can also enable integration of social media, allowing users to post comments, share content and connect during their viewing experience. More details in: http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/New-companion-TV-apps-unveiled.php.
Few interesting aspects:
TCH MediaEcho
- Application that synchronizes secondary content (like cast, crew and production information, historical facts etc) with Blu-ray, video on demand (VoD) or broadcast programming
- For broadcast and VoD features, synchronization is achieved via Technicolor’s own audio watermarking technology, which inserts an inaudible high-frequency sound that can only be recognized by the tablet
- Also enables e-commerce within the app, allowing fans to purchase items related to the program through the tablet
Umami
- In-house editorial team curates enhanced content on many popular television series, and the app’s Smart Search function recommends keywords and links to help consumers discover even more about their favorite shows
- Uses proprietary audio fingerprinting technology to sync continuously to live or time-shifted programming from all major broadcast and cable networks in the US.
- Provides program-related content, including show info, cast bios, and photos
- Provide one-click access to official show pages, fan sites, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and other content sources
- Provide access to real-time social feeds to see what cast, critics and friends are saying about a show, and to make comments of their own
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