Monterosa Develops Twitter-Enabled Social TV Application for Living's "Four Weddings"

Monterosa, a UK-based company that describes itself as a "specialist in real-time technology and content" (note: the company's previously launched offerings include 1) a rugby-themed chat app for the Web site of the UK newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, that streams live comments from an array of sources, including Twitter and Facebook, and that allows users to sign in and interact with the newspaper's journalists using their Twitter or Facebook accounts; 2) a prediction game for the UK version of the reality show, "The Apprentice; and 3) a real-time multi-player quiz for BBC Sport), contacted [itvt] Monday to let us know that it has partnered with communications planner, goodstuff, and creative agency, Karmarama, to create a "live play-along experience" (i.e., a two-screen interactive/social TV application) for Virgin Media-owned digital channel, Living's, new reality show, "Four Weddings" (airs Mondays at 9:00PM for 10 weeks, starting July 6th). The company says that the play-along experience is based on reac.tv, a social TV platform that it plans to launch on a standalone basis later this summer.

According to Monterosa, it was approached by Karmarama and goodstuff "with a view to developing and pitching a mass play-along online event with a social media dimension in line with Virgin Media Television's broadcast plans." The result, the company says, is a "real-time rating gadget and live comments stream which lets viewers play along with the show, rating the weddings online as events unfold" (note: the show features four brides who have to rate one another's weddings on such criteria as venue, food, dress and overall presentation: the bride with the highest-rated wedding wins a "dream honeymoon"; thus, Monterosa says, the app builds excitement through a "reveal" in which viewers discover whether the brides' choice corresponds with the "people's choice"). In addition, it says, the service it has developed allows viewers to interact with one another "taking part in the lively conversation which will include direct feeds from Twitter and other social media platforms." "According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, over half of digital households go online while watching television every day," Monterosa creative director, Tom McDonnell, said in a prepared statement. "The rating game based on our reac.tv platform capitalizes on the growing second screen phenomenon, offering users social television experience and advertisers a way to increase engagement."