The local ad service LocalResponse is acquiring the TV check-in company Philo (for an undisclosed amount), the latest move in the emerging social TV space. Back in April, Yahoo snapped up the TV-tagging company IntoNow for somewhere in the $15-30 million range.
LocalResponse is focused on helping local businesses respond to social conversations and check-ins about their products and services. Philo is an app that offers rewards for TV check-ins, but it also offers a service to entertainment brands to target promotions to users who checked into a TV show or movie. The marriage will bring a new dimension to LocalResponse’s data, allowing local businesses to target responses to people who are watching similar content on TV, matching promotions to viewing behavior.
The acquisition underlines the importance of data in the social TV world and the wide-ranging applications of it. Data is the driving force behind many social TV startups — those that create it and others that analyze it — and I think it’s safe to predict many more acquisitions in the months to come.