Popular Second Screen Apps

Popular Second Screen Apps

Advertisers and app developers have been raving about the potential of second screen apps to improve both the marketing sector as well as the TV-viewing experience itself. In theory, a lot of good things can be said about the opportunities opened up by designing cool second screen apps for TV-viewers to use, but what’s really going on out there? What do the second screen apps people love the most? Let’s take a look at three of the most popular second screen apps that have had great success in engaging users so far.

Zeebox

Zeebox is one of the hit second screen apps in the US, with an impressive score of one million downloads in only five months time from its release. Zeebox’s secret is versatility. While giving way to live interaction with both aired content and other TV-viewers, this is one of the second screen apps that still leave room for the user to interact with content off-show. Let’s see what Zeebox’s main features are:

• It has been used for answering polls, voting and playing content-related games, rewarding viewers by airing their results live on TV;
• It uses a system of “zeetags” viewers can click on to get more info on what they’re seeing on TV;
• A social network component of commenting and sharing;
• Users can also engage in social viewing sessions with their online friends, while setting their own privacy boundaries;
• Zeebox features a “most popular” section that people can use to see what shows are trending at the moment.

The amazing popularity of free second screen apps such as Zeebox, proves how enthusiastic people really are about an enhanced TV-viewing experience.

Viggle

Viggle is one of the free second screen apps seeking to attract users through reward systems. It works by inviting users to log on into the platform and perform a variety of activities in order to earn points. Its main features are the following:

• Users can log in, whether they’re watching TV shows or just listening to music, and earn points by the minute;
• Tagging songs also adds up to the total score;
• It offers rewards for getting more users to sign up;
• Periodical bonuses, as well as promotional opportunities to gain user points and badges;
• TV-viewers can also share, recommend and follow shows;
• Users can check out live trivia about the shows they like;
• It’s one of the few second screen apps that actually offer material prizes to its users in the form of gift cards, vacations or electronics.

Overall, Viggle shows how second screen apps can engage even the most practical TV-viewer. It also rocks perfect graphics, great accuracy in the info it provides, and lastly, integration of social platforms such as IMDB, Wikipedia and Facebook.

Twitter

Twitter is probably one of the most accessed second screen apps out there and its popularity among marketers is not lacking either. Despite its relatively recent “conversion” into a cross-screen platform, there’s really a lot of hype around it, ranking high in the top of the most popular second screen apps out there. How has it been integrated into the second screen advertising strategy so far? Let’s see:

• More and more shows are trying to engage their users by providing hashtags they can use when commenting on the content being aired live;
• Because it can also be used to gather live and reliant user feedback on TV content, Twitter’s definetely here to stay, among the favourite second screen apps of big fish in the advertising pond.

Twitter’s been one of the second screen apps successfully employed by big brands on the marketing scene recently, setting the tone for the future development of second screen apps in general. Therefore, it’s a fact: everyone loves Twitter – advertisers included.

Successful Second Screen Apps Prove that a New TV-Viewing Dimension Is Possible

These are all examples of how the newly emerged cross screen industry has managed to carry out its strategy. The odds look good, as people love having fun and advertisers love the positive consumer feedback. New developments and ideas are definitely being designed, so it seems like just a matter of time until second screen apps become as common as TV itself.