While TV check-ins have been popular, some have questioned their longevity. Even Miso CEO Somrat Niyogi told us earlier this year that the check-in is just a starting point, not the “be all end all.” So today Miso is announcing a groundbreaking partnership with DirecTV that synchronizes the app with TV shows.
Here’s how it works. If your mobile device and your DirecTV box are running on the same home WiFi, when you change the channel, your Miso app automatically knows what you’re watching — a real-time social TV guide. You can tap a button to “check in,” chat with friends watching the show and answer questions associated with the episode. Here’s a video that provides a quick overview of the features:
Niyogi says it’s the first of a series of announcements coming in the next few months, a “new era” for social TV. We interviewed him about the DirecTV deal and what it means for TV check-ins:
Lost Remote: You’ve said the check-in is just a starting point. Does your DirectTV deal signal a new era of the integrated check-in?
Somrat Niyogi: We think this is a lot bigger than just an integrated check-in. We see this as a new era around “connected social TV,” where devices are truly communicating with each other to deliver a more seamless and integrated sharing experience. Now that I know what you’re watching whether live, on DVR, or on-demand, and I know what you’re watching, we can start exploring delivering what you want at those exact moments. What if you are watching “Glee” and Brittany says something funny that you want to share and immediately you get a push notification with the quote she just said on TV. No more typing, just more seamless sharing. This is the start of an era of delivering on the promise of a connected home.
LR: What’s the difference between this approach and IntoNow, for example?
SN: We love what IntoNow does but the challenge about using audio to deliver a synchronized experience is that people don’t keep their apps open while they are watching TV. We believe and have tested this through our own user research studies. We believe the mobile device should be smarter and know what’s going on as you use your TV. If a user pauses, Miso should know. If a user changes the channel, Miso should know even if the phone is not on. None of this should be user initiated, as our goal is to enable a social TV experience that doesn’t interfere with the way a person naturally watches TV.
LR: Does an auto-synchronized experience enable other opportunities as well, such as synchronized advertising? What’s next?
SN: The first step we were embarking on with DIRECTV is to connect Miso with “What’s On” TV, which now makes sharing a lot easier, but this is just the beginning. We want to deliver an experience that is synchronized with what’s happening on TV that can be personalized and customized for you. Advertising will of course be a part of it, but we need to deliver the right user experience first.