The UK-only Zeebox app is about to get some European competition. Orange’s TVCheck app, which has been available only in France, is coming to the UK later this month. Using automatic content recognition, TVCheck recognizes the show you’re watching, enables you to “check in,” discuss the show with others, participate in various challenges and win badges up to the “master” of the TV show — a little like Foursquare’s mayorships.
The app has been downloaded 100,000 times in France so far, the company told PaidContent, adding that it’s actively looking to strike deals with broadcasters (Zeebox has partnered with SkyTV.) It’s planning on debuting an Android app around the same time it launches in the UK.
One of the interesting elements of Orange’s approach (Orange is part of France Télécom) is that the app is available for free, whether you’re an Orange subscriber or not. Instead of using the app as a way to attract and retain subscribers, Orange is aiming for scale first, revenue second, which makes it directly competitive with other second-screen apps in the UK.
Zeebox, meanwhile, plans to launch in the US within the next few months.