Shazam users can now buy TV merchandise from the app
The second season of USA Networks’ show “Covert Affairs” will feature call-outs on air for viewers using the Shazam app to “tag” music in the show to unlock exclusive video and photos. The drama joins a growing list of “Shazamable” shows (their word, not mine) that tap Shazam’s massive user base. And for the first time, viewers will also be able to buy merchandise from the show.
Welcome to the all-new home of social TV
Nearly a year ago, Lost Remote was the first site to focus exclusively on the emerging social TV space. Few people had heard of “social TV” back then, but now the TV industry is embracing social media, and venture capitalists are investing millions in social TV startups. Media analyst Jack Myers predicts social TV will be an $8-12 billion business in 2020.
Today Lost Remote is keeping pace with the social TV revolution with more original reporting, exclusive interviews, guest posts, analysis and data. You may have noticed, we’ve rolled out a new design with several new sections:
Charts: We’ve added to our daily Trendrr data of the most social TV shows with charts from SocialGuide and the weekly most-checked-in TV shows from GetGlue. A one-stop source of social TV data and ratings.
Is SocialSamba setting a new standard for social TV?
When you’re a TV junkie, there are usually a few TV shows that make an impact on your consciousness beyond just watching every episode each week. These handful of shows are the ones you won’t allow any distractions. Throughout the week, you bring the characters to life by dressing up as them for Halloween, comparing them to close friends and searching the net for interviews and pictures about them.
Vevo debuts social video rooms powered by Chill
Sure, TV is social, but what about online video? The video site Vevo has partnered up with Chill — which is similar to Turntable.fm but for video — to launch “Vevo Rooms” around three big-name musicians: Katy Perry, Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg. Appearing as avatars, fans can play videos for the room, chatting alongside the action.
“The best part? There’s a good chance that the artists themselves will drop in from time to time,” explains Vevo.
5 new challenges for media companies using Google Plus
(Guest post by Jen Lee Reeves, interactive director at KOMU.com, which was the first local TV station to use Google Hangouts on the air. She’s also an Associate Professor at the Missouri School of Journalism.)
The day after Google+ was open for invites was the day I creates the KOMU 8 News account. For 19 glorious days I played with its potential as a brand at the same time I tried to understand its uses as an individual.
I immediately recognized the differences. The KOMU brand page (the new location is here) was a chance to share updates from our newsroom and encourage input from people who want to discuss news topics.
TV brands quick to join Google Plus pages
Google launched business pages Monday, and it didn’t take long for the major TV brands — and a handful of local TV stations — to create their own Google+ pages. Here at Lost Remote headquarters, we’ve created our own, adding the G+ button “follow” button throughout. (Here’s how. It’s a static button for now, but Google says one-click follow buttons are coming in the next few days.)
Mass Relevance becomes first Twitter re-syndication partner
Twitter announced on their developer’s blog today that Mass Relevance — which includes ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC as clients — will be their “first of several partners officially licensed to re-syndicate Twitter content for display”. Mass Relevance explains the partnership on its blog:
Companion TV app Umami to hit app store Tuesday
Update: You can now download the Umami app for iPad here.
Social TV startup Umami raised $1.66 million in August to launch a TV app for linear programming that would be cheaper than a network creating their own app, leveraging a “publishing platform.” The app will be available for iPad tomorrow and is launching with a network partner, the National Geographic Channel for the channel’s “Expedition Week” and “Knights of Mayhem” show this week.
We interviewed co-founder and CEO Scott Rosenberg, who explained Umami’s key offerings.
Google Plus launches business accounts
After launching in late June, Google Plus experienced the fastest start of a social network on the planet. But it refused to allow businesses to create branded pages — many media companies started accounts only to have them removed — which is arguably a key reason why Google+ usage has slowed in recent weeks.
But today, Google has launched its much-anticipated business accounts, working with a small handful of brands as “early examples” (including +Breaking News, which is my real job).
TweetTV debuts social TV guide with video chats
TweetTV joins the swelling ranks of social TV guides with a new site that measures the “tweet rate” of conversations around TV shows. When you punch up the site — and enter your zip code and TV provider — it ranks the shows available on your TV set in order of what people are watching right now (or more precisely, what they say they’re watching on Twitter.) But that’s just the beginning.
TV stations battle for Facebook reach in Milwaukee
Three TV stations in Milwaukee are not only battling it out in the November ratings, but also for Facebook likes. At last check, WISN has 28,605 likes, WTMJ has 43,660, but WITI comes out on top with a whopping 85,153, ranked #7 in our leaderboard of the most popular Facebook pages in local TV. Impressive for the nation’s 35th largest market.
TVGuide says ‘Watchlists’ are predicting TV show success
TVGuide has released its fall survey with a few interesting tidbits. First, 27% of TVGuide.com users say they plan to buy a tablet in the next year, underscoring the second-screen opportunity there. And 19% said they would pay more for content (or to put another way, 81% said they will not.) Another 85% say they want a personalized TV guide to help them discover content.
Where’s in the World is Matt? Tweet for a clue
The Today Show franchise “Where in the World is Matt?” is back, but with a social media twist. While the first clue was revealed on the air today (“It conjures up thoughts of a child’s worst fright, but there are no people to scare in this skier’s delight”), a second clue will be released using something called Hashtag Art.
CBS cranks up social media for November sweeps
After two “Tweet Weeks” this year, CBS is rolling out “Social Sweep Week” to kick off the November book. CBS talent will take over the network’s various Facebook and Twitter accounts at points throughout the week, beginning with tomorrow’s big LSU-Alabama football game. Every morning, CBS will reveal who’s updating the accounts for the day on @CBS, the CBS Facebook account and here on CBS.com:
Google TV update rolling out, will it save the platform?
The new Google TV software update — a rather major overhaul — is starting to roll out to Google TV-powered sets and devices this week. At the same time, YouTube announced it’s rolling out new original content channels. It’s a combined effort to restart the product, which was widely panned by consumers and blocked by many TV content providers’ websites.
Do people use the apps they download?
There may be an app for that, but a new Pew study looks at the percentage of people who actually use them on a regular basis. And as you might expect, there’s a wide range of adoption that varies among age groups. Let’s start with people who already have a device with apps. The question: how many apps do you use at least once a week?
‘Have you heard about social media’s killer app? It’s called TV’
At Lost Remote, we enjoy exploring all the new apps that hit the market and pledge to make TV more social. Many of them are beginning to see early stages of maturity. The relationship between TV and social media continues to become clear. TV definitely needs social but how much does social need TV?
We spoke with TVB President Steve Lanzano about the organization’s thoughts on social TV and how their CMO’s belief is that TV is “social media’s killer app.” TVB is a not-for-profit trade association for America’s commercial broadcast TV industry, starting as the Television Bureau of Advertising in 1953 (cue up the South Park Colorado Department of Internet episode) when the nascent TV industry was still unsure of its future (similar to social now). TVB now actively promotes local media marketing solutions to advertisers.
In a first, Yume to power video ads on connected TV sets
Ad provider Yume has partnered with LG to become the first ad platform built into an internet-connected TV set. Yume will power ads inside the LG Smart TV navigation experience as well as pre-rolls inside apps themselves. For Yume, this opens up a new world of previously untapped ad revenue.
“Over the past several years we have offered in-player, in-app, and now in-TV ad solutions,” said Jayant Kadambi, CEO of Yume. “Even as consumer attention fractures, we offer brands a way to seamlessly reach consumers at every stage of interaction with the TV, and across all platforms and devices.”
