What started off like the new trend in TV sets, the smart TV has opened the way for a completely new and exciting concept: Social TV. While smart TVs take after smartphones (devices used with one purpose which then became a completely dependable accessory), social TV takes after social networks in how popular it wants to be and how big it plans on beginning. And it cannot be done without the help of second screen apps.
Face it! Since you have purchased that new smartphone or tablet, most of your evenings have been spent sliding, clicking, liking, commenting, with the TV turned on and the remote near-by. The TV, the first big screen in your life only gets 10% of your attention while you flip through the undoubtedly more interesting Internet pages. Even when you think you are watching a TV show or a movie, you still end up looking for information online on where to buy things you just saw or how to book a room at that great resort the movie was filmed at. This gave producers the idea for second screen apps.
And all of this information you are so interested in is not even the one transmitted during the commercial break. No. There are small things that catch your eye and make you want to look them up. This is what has gotten marketers so excited: second screen marketing is a way of simply harvesting the increased and focused interest of consumers, at exactly the moment it is manifested. With regular advertising, you have to rely on the consumer remembering the information delivered. With second screen advertising, they can act on it NOW!
The development of the second screen platform starts off at the idea that the attention of the viewers is such a big asset that getting it and keeping it is worth investing in and even changing the game. But can any show change the game or even adapt to the changes needed to make the cut? Not all games are designed to be interactive and great for viewer involvement. Some are just meant for people at home to sit back and watch others do something, without getting involved, without their comments counting in any way. Can such games survive in this context?
What started off with the little wondrous box a little voice used to come out of, namely the radio, has evolved to TV and then has branched out with the Internet. In later years, it seems that entertainment has started evolving in different directions than the general one of television, which is a shame for this old companion. Social TV is a natural evolution which includes the neglected screen. We may all be waiting for the moment when the TV set will have a touch screen or no screen at all and when we will be able to control and live everything we see on it, but for the time being, we can enjoy the shows in a different way with the second screen apps.
