AirPlay, a San Francisco-based company that specializes in enabling
multiplayer, play-along mobile and Web-based gaming for TV shows
(note: the company's offerings include "NFL Call-the-Play Football,"
"NBA Realtime Fantasy" and "Deal or No Deal: Live TV Challenge";
for an in-depth overview of the company, see [itvt]'s interview with its
chairman and CEO, Morgan Guenther, in Issue 7.71), has been tapped
by CBS to provide a live, interactive experience for the reality show,
"Big Brother 10." Since July 10th, viewers of the show have been able
to play a game called "Big Brother: Live TV Challenge" (note: the
game is also available on the Web), that allows them to chat with one
another and compete for a grand prize (a trip to the show's live season
finale in Los Angeles), by making predictions about the show,
answering trivia questions that test their memory of past events in the
show, and participating in "Pop Polls." "'Big Brother' has an extensive
fan community who crave constant interaction," Jeff Sellinger, EVP of
CBS Mobile, said in a prepared statement. "This new game enhances
the experience by allowing fans to interact and connect with each other
via mobile phone or Web while they watch the show. Most people have
a mobile phone with them while they watch television, so this is a
natural, entertaining way for them to interact." In order to play the
game, viewers either text "BB10" to the shortcode, PLAYTV, or log
onto CBS's or AirPlay's Web sites. The company says that the mobile
version of the game is available on most major wireless carriers.
In other AirPlay news: The company was recently tapped by
NBCSports.com and the USGA to provide an interactive game for the
2008 US Open golf championship. The game, dubbed "US Open Live
Challenge," invited viewers to compete for a grand prize (an all-
expenses-paid trip to the 2009 US Open) by predicting players' scores
and calling out live course action (for example, guessing whether a
player would sink a putt on the third hole or bogey on the next par 4). It
also provided immediate leaderboard updates, golf trivia questions,
player-to-player chat, and constantly updated opinion polls. "US Open
fans have already proven to be highly engaged across multiple
mediums during the Championship," Alex Withers, director of new
media at the USGA, said in a prepared statement. "Partnering with
NBCSports.com and AirPlay for a live gaming experience gives fans
further engagement with the action during our National
Championship."
