iPowow, the Participation TV company, teamed up with WJXT Channel 4 in Jacksonville to help produce a real-time voting solution for the network’s 4th of July singing competition, ‘Oh Say Can You Sing.’
Three contestants were chosen to participate and viewers entered a total of one million votes using a second screen device during the five-minute finale.
“We are very excited to be working with Post-Newsweek and WJXT, and thrilled to have been a part of this industry first” Says Gavin Douglas, iPowow, CCO. “This is Participation TV at it’s finest; for the first time ever the audience had the final say, controlling the outcome of the show in real time. WJXT are in tune with what their viewers want, and by integrating the iPowow platform the audience at home become part of the story, enhancing the viewer experience and deepening their level of engagement.”
Moving forward shows like ‘American Idol’ and ‘The Voice’ will continue to incorporate Participation TV features into telecasts. Soon, fans may not have to wait an entire day between singing, casting votes, and a finale show. Instead, the three may be combined into one night with real-time voting. iPowow and WJXT accomplished this on a much smaller scale, but certainly proved its potential.
In a piece in May for The Social Media Monthly, Colin Hornett, Executive Producer of iPowow, distinguished between social TV companies and Participation TV companies: “We’re not social TV. It’s inherently social because you end up sharing things, but iPowow is Participation TV. This also isn’t a fad. Smart devices are only becoming more prevalent, so you need to be able to engage your audience and have them participate. 85% of people watching TV have some type of device in their hand, so why not give them something fun and engaging to do? This is really about engaging the fans in the story in the most entertaining, fun, simple way possible, and we’re having a blast doing it.”
iPowow’s Participation TV platform is currently being used by CNBC, ESPN’s SportsCenter, Fox Sports 1, Suits on USA Network, and Pawn Stars on History, among others.
