Sure, lots of people use their mobile phones and tablets in front of TV — 80% in fact — but how do second-screen apps perform? TVPlus revealed today at the Social TV Summit that it’s seeing click-through rates of companion TV content on its iPads app “north of 10 percent.”
That’s an impressive number. By companion content, TVPlus defines it as “unique pieces of related content delivered synchronously on a second screen while users watch a broadcast.” The TVPlus iPad app not only can identify a show via audio, but synchronize with it as well — even Twitter streams — and that’s the driver behind the high click-rates, the company believes (see our review of the TVPlus-powered X-Factor app, which illustrates how content enhances the broadcast.)
“Audio synchronization is an important element for second screen applications, but only so far as you can produce a truly engaging content experience that complements the program,” said Ajay Shah, CEO and co-founder of TVplus. “Our click-through rate data is a strong indicator that we are, in fact, driving deeper viewer engagement through our content.”
This is an important distinction between just providing related content and unstructured conversation as opposed to crafting a true co-viewing experience with synchronized content. We’re just seeing the early stages of this, but I believe the second screen will spawn a new industry of co-viewing content creators. Stay tuned!
By the way, TVPlus won the “Best New Idea” award at the Social TV Summit today. Currently an iPad app, TVPlus says it will roll out soon across multiple platforms, including PC/Mac, iPhone and Android devices.