“A number of TV networks have expressed the need for a cost-effective way to provide synchronized content for their fans,” said Trevor Stout, CEO of yap.TV. “But, equally as important, networks have expressed the desire to easily manage the content in those experiences, in real-time.”
yap.TV wants to offer both, with its Live Pulse system and CMS for broadcasters hoping to engage second-screeners, especially those enticed by more than show-finding and social conversations. The company, backed by Javelin Venture Partners and Blumberg Capital, and advised by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, tested its Live Pulse system with XIX Entertainment's "¡Q’VIVA! The Chosen," a show in which Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Jamie King journey across The Americas in search of performers who have the chops to represent their country.
"The digital age allows us to redefine entertainment and create so many new ways for the consumer to enhance their experience and pleasure,” Simon Fuller, CEO of XIX Entertainment, said in a recent release. “The second screen does just that, by creating an interactive and social experience with the programs we love, that previously would not have been possible."
In this email interview, yap.TV's Shawn Cunningham, co-founder and CMO, discusses what exactly is being produced for the second screen, why it's not a passing phase and how the company is thinking globally.
Can you give me a sense of what you mean by "original, produced content on the second screen?" What is being produced and who is doing that production?
For many scenes in ¡Q'Viva! there are moments where viewers are given a brief look at an amazing performer. yap.TV worked closely with ¡Q'Viva! Editors to identify these areas in the production and to edit footage that extended the experience that started on the first screen, and continue it on the second. Moving forward, this will be the format for ¡Q'Viva!, and for other shows, that will thoughtfully edit programming with both the first and second screen in mind.
Most second screen companies have chosen an either/or approach to powering a brand versus being the destination. You seem open to both approaches and I wonder what is driving your decisions there?
You are correct. We believe that the activity of social TV deserves a brand focused on providing the best ongoing experience and innovation in creating the ultimate second screen companion. This is why we have Steve Wozniak and designers that worked with Steve Jobs, and why we initially launched on the iPad exclusively. We believe you cannot be the leader in social TV unless the UX is laser focused on the TV fan and making it fun. In addition, we recognized early on that we could deliver an enterprise-class CMS for network partners that would accelerate their ability to harness the social TV buzz for their brands by working with yap.TV. Networks are great at creating content, we are great at pioneering social TV, and a great deal of networks have produced low quality experiences that die off after the season ends, or were not able to fully integrate with social networks beyond posting out an "I'm watching" event. yap.TV offers all TV fans a social TV guide that works across every network and every TV show on TV, and that coupled with the fact that the average American watches more than 35 hours a week of TV, it is obvious that the time spent is not on one network. yap.TV enables networks to stay in touch with their fans regardless of where the viewer's attention is at the moment, and reengage them when content is available. This is why we believe there has to be a broad brand like yap.TV to house this experience. This was one of the reasons that Simon Fuller of XIX (creator of American Idol) selected yap.TV over more than 20 worldwide partners, in that we provided a broader experience that outlasts the first season of Q'Viva!, enabling early marketing for season 2, behind the scenes developments for season 2, etc. yap.TV provides a way to create a "long-tail two-way" relationship with the TV fan.
Some argue that second screen is a power-user phenomenon and that most TV viewers are going to stick to the lean-back experience. What are your thoughts on that? How do you envision a mass market embracing active second screen use?
We think that is patently false. We have seen nothing but increasing adoption and activity across every demographic and show type throughout yap.TV. Fortunately, TV fans have a unrelenting appetite for content and more content. The second screen affords a scratch of this itch in real-time. The demand is there, our technology is there, and the timing is perfect. The second screen will become a commonplace accessory to TV productions and viewing experiences for the future, which has already arrived.
Are there certain genres of TV shows that are more successful for your services. Reality and live events tend to get a lot of attention, but I wonder if there are second screen advantages for other kinds of shows.
In the beginning we saw huge uptake around event TV (e.g. American Idol, MTV Awards etc.), and shows that simply garnered public fascination (e.g. Jersey Shore), but that has changed dramatically. We see activity across our ecosystem, and across every demographics. Even ab workout programs have people discussing them. The second screen, and yap.TV in particular, will become the dominant way that people discuss and engage around the content they love, and this behavior has become the new digital water cooler delivered on the second screen. The promise of interactive TV is finally here, it just arrived in a place nobody expected.
I focus a lot on what is happening the U.S., so can you tell me a little bit about engaging the Latin American market.
We are the first social TV company to make broad moves internationally, and what we do see is very strong uptake of second screen social TV throughout LatAm. The challenge is in providing a similar engaging experience that we have created in the U.S., and extending that to reach into any country around the globe, and we feel with this release and the Q'Viva! partnership, we are on a roll. The opportunity is enormous, as content itself goes viral worldwide despite its country of origin. If content is attractive to an audience, it finds its way regardless of point of origin, and viewers engage worldwide in content they love. yap.TV sees this as a worldwide opportunity, and as such we are in the process of localizing and launching local versions of yap.TV worldwide, with the initial push hitting LatAm. This means that we will have programming guide data for your locale, making a "worldwide social TV guide" a reality, and the first of its kind.
