We recently wrote about ACTV8’s growth including a partnership with Fox and Mark Burnett. The second screen platform continues to spread its footprint across the social TV world with plans to power an app for season two of Oxygen’s hit “The Glee Project.”
The Glee Project is the network’s most anticipated returning show where fourteen contenders (two more than season one) will vie to become the next cast member on Fox’s musically-infused hit, “Glee.” According to the release, “Oxygen will utilize ACTV8’s technology to power experiences that reward fans with exclusive access to contenders and the opportunity to receive on-air recognition.” Interestingly, one fan who participates in the live video chats will get to meet their favorite contender face-to-face.
We spoke with Jennifer Kavanagh, SVP Digital for Oxygen about this partnership and what to expect for the new season.
LR: Why did you decide to partner with ACTV8?
Jennifer Kavanagh: We partnered with ACTV8 to take advantage of the unique second-screen technology that they had developed. ACTV8 applications allow viewers to sync up to the show via an audio fingerprint, and be rewarded for participating in interactive elements. As part of our deal, ACTV8 is helping us build a social TV experience that lives in a native iPhone/iPad/Android app, on the web, and in a Facebook application.
LR: How will this make your programming more social?
JK: Many of the applications we’ve seen in the social TV space either aggregate conversation about a show, reward viewers for checking-in, or help viewers find more information by linking out to various third-party websites and social media accounts. What’s unique about what we’re doing is that this is the first social TV experience that rewards fans for engaging with the show by connecting them to talent and exclusive content in a meaningful way. We’ve all had that experience of wanting to reach through the TV and talk directly to the cast/characters in a show, or voice our agreement (or not!) with judges’ decisions, or be acknowledged for supporting the show.
We feel that the key to creating a meaningful social TV experience is authenticity. That means being authentic to what the show is all about and what our audience truly wants. The challenges and homework assignments that fans have to complete will be issued by the contenders so the whole experience will feel very authentic and personal. Leveraging our award-winning OxygenLive experience and ACTV8 technology, fans will be able to chat live with contenders every week, engage in polls and quizzes, instantly share their favorite moments from the episode they’re watching with friends, all the while earning exclusive content and the chance to win experiential rewards from the contenders. And that’s just during the span of the airing of the show itself! Fans will also be able to engage in challenges and homework assignments throughout the week.
The Glee Project is a show that is essentially about making dreams come true, one of these contenders is going to get the ultimate prize of a seven episode arc on Glee. That’s career making for a young performer. We’re taking that concept and extending it to our audience. Many of our fans have told us that their dream is to meet their favorite contender from the series, and one lucky fan is going to win the chance to do just that.
It’s also the perfect venue for sponsors to showcase their brands. What better way to get the word out about your brand than aligning yourself with a platform that features young people going for it and provides real rewards for social activity?
LR: What’s in store for The Glee Project when it comes to social TV?
JK: The social TV experience we’re building with ACTV8 is our core offering in the social TV space. It’s a huge project and there’s lots there for fans to engage with, but there’s more to our social story.
Fans will also be able to engage with the show round the clock on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram, earn GetGlue stickers, etc. Wherever there are Gleeks, you’ll find a friendly Glee Project account to follow! Most importantly, is how fans will be able to engage with contenders. We work very closely with our cast to get everyone tweeting and Facebooking throughout the season. That level of engagement is really what helps build passion for the show and turns our fans into the great brand ambassadors that they are.
The Fan Favorite Poll we did last year was extremely popular and so we’ll be doing that again, too.
LR: How has Oxygen been leveraging social TV?
JK: Oxygen, as a brand, is always looking to stay ahead of the innovation curve. We’ve been doing OxygenLive (our real-time watercooler experience) chats with show talent since December 2009, and we were pretty much the first in that space. Seeing the passion and level of engagement around the first season of The Glee Project last summer, we knew we had to take the way we think about social TV to the next level for Season 2.
In looking back at what truly “hit” last summer, we found that it was our fans’ passion for the contenders and the content that really drove the social space. In fact, we rounded out our first season with 1.6 million followers across official show and contender social media accounts, a 909% increase from premiere. This increase also helped drive impressive increase triple-digit growth across on-air +172% in total viewers and +167% among W18-49. Additionally, “The Glee Project” has reached almost 39 million viewers on multiple platforms, including on-air, Oxygen.com, Hulu.com and VOD. (source: Nielsen Media Research, Omniture, Hulu Partner Portal, Rentrak).