Live TV shows are always more exciting for the audience at home than those filmed according to the script. There is something about the element of surprise and the unexpected situations that the TV crews cannot handle right away that keeps people pinned in front of the screen. In a way, we could even say that the things that should not happen draw them even more to the whole TV watching experience than what was specifically designed to keep them interested. This idea got second screen app producers to think about an even more intrusive element in game shows, the viewers themselves.
Watching a TV show at home and signing in with a phone or a tablet or laptop on the show’s webpage to play a separate little game online may have already run its course. This was a good idea a while back, but people want more from every experience. So why not make it even more exciting for the TV audience and more stressful for the technical crew? Why not have all of the people signing in join the show in real time? That was the second screen app challenge!
In order to give the viewers the feeling that they are just as involved in the show as they would if they were on the set, the app they use must give them real time information and updates, along with the proper feedback and a corresponding answer on the TV screen. Second screen platform developers have come up with ideas to fit several forms of games. They can compete among themselves to have the results presented on screen and the winner can join the live competition along with the players on set.
It is much easier for TV producers and broadcasters, not to mention the technical team, to work on a show with a script and with a sure outcome. Shows with live audiences are a challenge as there are things the people behind the scenes cannot predict or prepare for. Adding the audience at home on the show is even more difficult for the crew. Even so, mainly the shows that will manage to make the change will be the ones that make it in the future. Second screen marketing is seriously relying on this major change in the entertainment business.
Why would TV viewers enjoy these shows instead of the traditional ones? Because they will be set at the line between watching and participating, because they revolutionize the concept of home and connected entertainment and because they love anything new and they like to take control as much as possible of what they need to get entertained. Even if they are so keen on the change, there is still a lot to do before that. Second screen marketing along with second screen advertising are getting ready to take over.
