IneoQuest-Subsidiary, Vloop, Launches Social TV Platform

Vloop, a start-up that is a subsidiary of IneoQuest, a provider of solutions for monitoring digital video delivery, officially launched its eponymous social TV service at the NAB show in Las Vegas Wednesday. According to the company, the free service, which is currently available in beta at http://www.vloop.com and for which it says patents are pending, lets users:

• join their Facebook friends or people in their local area to interact with one another around programs in real time, using text, video and audio;
• interact with producers (for example, by answering questions designed to gauge audience reaction to a show) and actors;
• send messages to their pay-TV service provider, if they are experiencing technical difficulties. For systematic improvements, the company says, providers can "identify trends in experience and develop reports, including detailed analysis by geographic location and program."
• access a programming guide that features TV listings for North American operators as well as for the most popular broadband TV sites, and that also provides information on how other Vloop users are responding to each of the programs it lists.

Vloop says that versions of the service will also be available for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, as well as for the Yahoo! Widget Engine platform. According to the company, one of the benefits of the service is that it will allow service providers to gather behavioral data about their viewers or subscribers, based on viewer-to-viewer conversations about programming. Meanwhile, the company says, advertisers can also benefit from Vloop by "leveraging its platform for delivering interactive, multidimensional ads, which are targeted based on viewer conversations and feedback." "As more viewers watch programs across multiple screens and increasingly adopt cutting-edge devices like hybrid broadband and broadcast televisions, providers must find a way to deliver quality content that meets their demands," Vloop founder and CEO, Marc A. Todd, said in a prepared statement. "Using Vloop, content and service providers greatly benefit by connecting directly with viewers about their experience and by asking them what they're watching and why. With that valuable information, providers can make informed business decisions that directly impact their ability to deliver exceptional quality of service and quality of experience...The culture of watching TV has changed: viewers aren't just tuned-in, they are engaged. Consumers demand interaction and seek ways to participate and add value to their experience. Vloop provides users with a platform to enhance the experience of TV entertainment. We're defining the user interaction by putting together all the pieces of the TV entertainment puzzle. Convenience is key and Vloop offers viewers a one-stop shop to take advantage of live programming."