Clearly, the second screen is closely tied to the idea of social TV. Each week sees new social TV announcements, with startups like Umami and Bluefin Labs entering the social TV space. And it’s not just little companies exploring this area - broadcasters like the BBC, NBC and ABC are all extending their digital strategies to include social.
Social TV is here and it is happening now; social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook are already complementing and enhancing the TV experience. The reality of how we watch video in the age of social TV takes engagement with content, and other viewers, to the next level.
One of the essential drivers for social TV is the second screen. The mobile world of tablets and smartphones is starting to converge with the content that comes into the home through the set-top box (STB) resulting in new opportunities for innovation.
Social TV apps are going to become even easier to use with the inclusion ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) which can recognize the video being played and trigger a custom response on the companion screen.
By connecting second screen devices with what’s playing on the TV, there is a huge opportunity to enrich the mainstays of linear TV schedules with supplementary information and social interactivity.
Companies at IBC with second screen demos at IBC include Motorola, Samsung, and TV Genius, to name a few.
Social media is also starting to play a key role in content discovery. At IBC, TV Genius will be demonstrating how operators can leverage what friends are doing and what shows are trending in order to discover hot TV content in real-time. Social content discovery has the added bonus that it also encourages interactivity and engagement- after finding a new piece of content viewers can easily join in the conversation.
During the show there is also a keynote by Facebook, various social TV seminars, and TV Genius’ own business briefing “Viewers Like This: Measuring Engagement Through the Power of Social” with GfK, Veronica, and William Cooper from InformITV.
However social TV is just scraping the surface of what will be on offer at IBC. This picture is by no means complete- expect the biggest announcements to happen during the show.
If you can’t make it, I will also be live-tweeting from the show floor on @TV_Genius September 8-13th.
