According to their announcement, “Univision will kick-off live chats with its personalities and celebrities through Facebook Platform.” As part of the launch of the UVideos network, “Facebook will be threaded throughout the experience allowing viewers to see what their friends are watching, follow celebrities, have access to exclusive content and join the conversation with Univision’s synched social stream.” Conroy provided Lost Remote with an in depth look at these major social integrations they’re launching.

Lost Remote: Why is Univision launching the UVideos Digital Network?

Kevin Conroy: At Univision we recognize our audience is younger, over-indexes on social and mobile and loves our content. Our mission is connect viewers to the best Hispanic Digital Network anytime, anywhere, and across any device – and that’s UVideos. Content consumption has unequivocally changed, people want to consume from any given screen or device, and we are committed to delivering quality content – Hispanic America’s favorite content, regardless of platform.

LR: What gaming consoles, smartphones, tablets and connected TVs will it be available on?

Conroy: We are working with our distributors including DISH and AT&T, leveraging platforms such as iOS and Android, and our partners to connect our viewers to the best in Hispanic programming – across the devices that are important to them. The UVideos Digital Network will continue to grow, onto game consoles and connected devices over the course of the year to make UVideos a truly “everywhere, anytime” network.

LR: What will the social features be?

Conroy: UVideos makes it easy for the audience to discover, watch, discuss and share the best Hispanic Video content – instantly. That starts with having the best content, and then encourages viewers to join the conversation about our content. The UVideos Digital Network brings together all elements of social content consumption; it will feature check-ins, social streams, alerts and bonus content for audiences to connect with each other and with Univision personalities. We are working closely with Facebook to present some of those experiences in a very innovative way.

LR: Will there be a second screen experience?

Conroy: Absolutely. We are committed to delivering a threaded companion experience to our audience across platforms that connects and engages users with their favorite content.

LR: How will this make Univision content more social?

Conroy: Social tools and engagement are central to any Univision effort and as part of UVideos Digital Network we are expanding these elements more than ever. In fact today we are announcing Facebook will be threaded throughout UVideos allowing viewers to see what their friends are watching, follow celebrities, have access to exclusive content and join the conversation with Univision’s synched social stream.

Social is officially moving beyond just a marketing tool, it is being included strategically throughout programming decision online and on-air.

The ABC affiliate is using the hashtag #liveonkomo to generate discussion among their viewers about ABC’s entire primetime lineup. They kicked-off the campaign last night with a tweetup at the Seattle Four Seasons to promote the premier of The Bachelorette.

KOMO on-air talent attended the event along with some of Seattle’s most influential “Twitterati”. They used the hashtag to dish about the show and encourage viewers to watch and tweet from home.

Oh God, let the multiple make out sessions begin! #TheBachelorette #liveonkomo …and the drama! Who will be the new Courtney this season?

— Lie Shia Ong (@unlieshed) May 15, 2012

In all, KOMO reports that there were more than 1,000 tweets using the hashtag between 8pm-11pm PT and that more than 2.5 million people were exposed to those tweets. And Kristi Waite, Digital Content Strategist for Fisher Interactive says all that Twitter traffic clearly made an impact on the ratings:

‘The Bachelorette’ on KOMO compared to 2011 Premiere:

• Women 18-34: +31%
• Men 18-34: +117%
• Total People 18-34: +38%

11pm KOMO News compared to newscast which followed the 2011 Bachelorette Premiere:

• Women 18-34: +92%
• Men 18-34: +180%
• Total People 18-34: +122%

Waite says KOMO-TV is thrilled with the night and plans to do more tweetups: “We probably can’t attribute all of this to the tweetup, but the ratings are the ratings and they were up in the young demos.”

As for what’s next, Waite says she would love to work with the network to get their #liveonkomo hashtag on the screen during the show. But it’s something they’re still working on with ABC.

The first event gets underway shortly with the NBA Finals: fans will be encouraged — via ESPN and ABC promotion — to tweet photos of their best “game face” with the #gameface hashtag. At the end of each game, NBA Tonight will reveal the best photographs on-air and feature them in a gallery on ESPN.com.

A key element of the partnership is the promotion on Twitter. For the Gameface promotion, #gameface will be a promoted trend, and ESPN will promote the contests on its @NBAonESPN account. ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose will tweet his top five favorite #GameFace entries before revealing the final winner, who will receive a grand tour of ESPN headquarters.

Advertisers who buy into the integrated packages will have access to Twitter’s promoted tweets and trends along with ESPN’s full slate of ad products around the event. “Working together, ESPN and Twitter are giving marketers a clear and powerful way to link on-air and online social conversations around sports,” said Joel Lunenfeld, Twitter’s Vice President of Global Brand Strategy. “It’s the first time advertisers can engage the audience around ESPN’s premier content across screens and where the conversation is happening on Twitter.”

This partnership makes a lot of sense for both parties. For Twitter, it’s the first time the social network has broken into TV ad dollars, albeit indirectly. ESPN will be bringing sponsors to the table and extending their event sponsorships into the Twitter realm, so for Twitter, it’s net positive. For ESPN, it’s another tool in the toolbox to attract big-name advertisers.

“Advertisers and marketers have been asking for meaningful opportunities that tap into the power of social media,” explains Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN Global Customer Marketing and Sales. “We know fans use ESPN and Twitter as their main source for content and connectivity. By taking that scale and combining it with the passion of sports fans, this program answers the value equation of social media while providing a new way for fans to engage with ESPN.”

Upcoming events on the horizon for ESPN and Twitter: Global X Games, Road to the BCS National Championship, Super Bowl, World Series, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and NASCAR Chase for the Cup.

And you can bet this is a model that other networks are exploring, as well.

- Dish DVR draws fire – Customers may be impressed by Dish Network’s commercial-skipping feature on the Hopper DVR, but at least two networks aren’t so happy.
- But can they stop it? – How the TV industry blew its best chance to kill Dish’s ad-skipping technology. (Hint: Remember ReplayTV?)
- Social news discovery service – New geolocation service Geofeedia helps journalists locate real-time photos, tweets where news breaks.
- Live TV viewing down – Not like this is surprising, but live ratings are in decline as viewers’ attention is diverted across a new sea of on-demand opportunities.
- Google TV on LG – LG shows off the “best Google TV yet,” according to VentureBeat, with motion-controlled “magic remote,” 3D capability and dual-core CPU.
- Groupon TV show – CBS orders a new series about twentysomethings who work at Groupon, but oddly calls the show, “Friend Me.” Huh?

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Before some of the big announcements of the afternoon, including Brittany Spears and Demi Lovato joining X Factor as the new judges, Rice took the stage to both describe how fox leads in social TV and how none of the digital players (YouTube, Hulu, etc) come close to their scale in digital and linear.

“If you consider the social footprint of these shows, the gap grows even bigger,” Rice told the crowd describing Fox’s reach to all of their competitors. “Not Google, Netflix, Yahoo! or, YouTube, can compete with our… scale.” He then took a big jab at how these digital players are investing in original content. “They’re now buying shows, good for them,” he said slightly sarcastically. “In reality they’re going to find they’re in the NFL,” he warned. “It takes a lot to make a show that people want to watch across all media.”

He called out to the advertisers in the room about the importance of social with their brands. “They can live across platforms, with digital and social we can engage with your customers like never before,” Rice described. “We’re delivering both impressions and expressions that makes Fox the number one network on TV and social.” He announced that last year, “we talked about having 159 million fans” and that, “this year we grew to over 230 million fans,” that they’re “talking to all the time.”

Finally he announced that internally they have a team they call “bridge,” dedicated entirely to social. The team will, “track social activity of our shows 24/7 that will have us and you enable you to take your core messages and marry that with our content and leverage it across multiple platforms,” he told the media buyers.

Networked Insights advice on what to buy from Fox and what not to buy:

What to buy and why:

-It’s Messy – While Mindy Kaling plays one of the minor characters on The Office she has a significant Twitter presence and is considered very humorous
-The Following – Kevin Bacon may have been cast as this show’s lead, but it’s really the show’s creator Kevin Williamson (who’s known for creating The Vampire Diaries) that’s bringing home the viewers
-The Goodwin Games – The co-creators of How I Met Your Mother are going to find it difficult to recreate the same magic with viewers that they had with HIMYM but according to social data HIMYM viewers are ready for new content

What not to buy and why::

-Ben & Kate – While this show has been receiving considerable PR attention viewers appear to be more apprehensive towards it and its “stupid funny” style of comedy – this show is likely to go the route of NBC’s BFFs
-The Mob Doctor – Being positioned through PR as FOX’s medical drama to replace House is not resonating strongly with viewers, nor is Jordana Spiro creating a lot of interest
-Guilty (not officially picked up yet) – Viewers have mixed feelings about Cuba Gooding Jr. and the lawyer comedy style humor is kind of a miss with viewers as NBC recently experienced with Harry’s Law

Sean Reckwerdt, Networked Insights’ lead analyst and cultural anthropologist explained how they use social data to help brands make the right media buy decision during the upfront season:

Networked Insights uses their real-time analytics on data models they call “lookalike shows” (EX: One of ABC’s “666 Park Avenue” lookalikes would be “American Horror Story”) to understand what content (the actors, the characters, the narrative-themes, etc.) that makes a particular show social and if it is something that could be duplicated by another show. They combine that with a deep analysis of the cast and crew attached to the new pilot, and their own ongoing real-time viewer trending analysis to inform their clients on where to place media spend and how to unlock new audiences.

Here are the three NBC recommendations from NI and why:

-1600 Penn – Viewers of Modern Family love to share content with each other, and can’t get enough of the show, more of the same from Modern Family’s creator looks like a win for media buyers.

-Revolution – While the fanfare over J.J. Abrams is not what it used to be, this show (below) is peaking a lot of viewer interest because of Eric Kipke, the creator of Supernatural, who’s helped create a generation of super-fans for the CW.

-The New Normal – Although Ryan Murphy’s writing style does appeal to everyone, being the Co-creator of Glee will certainly, and has already, attracted the interests of many viewers

NI also took a deep look into shows they they’re recommending brands not buy. They provided Lost Remote exclusively with a deep dive into Next Caller, featuring Dane Cook:

-The reaction towards the official season order of Next Caller trended very negatively (-16%)
-The viewers that did react to the news skewed towards an older and more female demographic
-The decision to order a season of this show reflected poorly upon NBC’s image
-The viewers that dislike the idea of this show tended to be fans of other NBC shows, in particular 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Awake
-Those same individuals also seem to dislike the show Whitney
-Twitter is changing the way the Upfronts conversations are emerging – last year the show news were mostly distributed through hardcore TV Fans specific/Entertainment-focused verticals like TVGuide.com and TVbythenumbers, this year they’re still being distributed in those locations, but now there are a lot more instant reactions being shared on Twitter
-Using Networked Insights real-time analytics to model and predict the Upfronts this year, we identified that this show would do poorly (and the emerging conversations so far continue to support that prediction) and as a result advised our clients against placing any media spend on it

Media buyers beware that social TV is about to drastically change the traditional TV buying decisions you make. Networked Insights is forcing the conversation and boldly providing insights to help brands be more predictive than ever before.

It all started when one fan, Mika Tuomi, started a Facebook group urging Bourdain to come to Finland. Soon, there were hundreds of comments asking him to shoot an episode there — and a handful telling him to avoid the boring country. “Anthony, I love you, but please don’t come here. We really don’t have anything exciting to offer,” explained one resident.

Well, No Reservations listened to the vast majority, shooting a show in Finland for the “persistent Facebook Finns.” So what did Bourdain do there? “Sauna, have a drink, sauna, blood sausage, sauna, have a drink, sauna,” he explains. His tease for the episode? “Hide the kids! Blood feast!”

Back from Brazil and planning to LiveTweet tonite’s Finland episode. 9PM and hide the kids! #bloodfeast

— Anthony Bourdain (@NoReservations) May 14, 2012

No Reservations is a Facebook powerhouse, with just short of 1.5 million likes. You can watch a video the crew put together about the Facebook campaign right here.

Plus, one of the contestants is from the Seattle market.

The Bachelorette Premiere is TONIGHT! We will be live tweeting from @FSSeattle – join the conversation: #liveonkomo

— Live on KOMO (@komo4) May 14, 2012

To get the ball rolling, KOMO-TV will be hosting a tweetup in Seattle tonight to promote the premiere of the Bachelorette, and they’re encouraging viewers to follow along at home using the hashtag #liveonkomo. The tweetup will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle and will include KOMO-TV on-air staff @StevePoolKOMO, @Mary_Nam, @DanLewisKOMO, @MichelleKOMO , @Martha_Kang as well as KOMO online staffers @TravisMayfield, @kristiwaite and @jenkuglin, who is General Manager of Content and Social Media for Fisher Interactive (part of Fisher Communications which is KOMO-TV’s parent company.)

For Jen, the goal of the tweetup is clear: “We know that audiences are already using Twitter while watching television. We want to take that interaction and make it local. By using the hashtag #liveonkomo, Seattleites can watch the show together! I believe this type of interaction can be a huge ratings driver.” Nationally, ABC is using #TheBachelorette hashtag.

Let us know what you think about KOMO’s Bachelorette Tweetup — and the station’s use of a local hashtag for a national show — especially if you decide to follow along tonight!

We spoke with Cuban and his Executive Producer Jordan Berman about social TV and “Bikini Barbershop: Jersey,” the hit reality show on his HDNet satellite channel.

Cuban’s passion and interest in TV goes beyond his investment and beyond his starring role in ABC’s Shark Tank. Cuban launched HDNet in 2001, and has since carefully grown the HD only content to be distributed by many of the MSOs. One of his recent successes on the network was with “Bikini Barbershop: Jersey,” a reality show about a barbershop in Long Branch, New Jersey which stars, “Jeff Wulkan, the Hugh Hefner of hair,” as he is “caught in the middle of the hookups, brawls and drama that unfold daily at his new salon on the Jersey shore.” The show, which recently had it’s finale, will begin another airing of the season on May 18th. Cuban and Berman (formerly SVP of Integrated Marketing at MTV) discussed social TV and the success of the show with Lost Remote.

Lost Remote: Mark, why did you decide to green light Bikini Barbershop: Jersey?

Mark Cuban: They are definitely a unique cast of characters, particularly the shop owner Jeff. They didn’t seem real, but they are 100% real and honest, which is what I liked about them.

LR: Mark, you recently invested in Flingo, why is social TV important to you? As an investor and TV executive why do you think social media is important to TV? What do you think we can expect in the future?

Cuban: Social TV isn’t important to me. Recognizing that the interactions that social media users have with each other is relevant content that has to be integrated into the TV experience is. I guess you can call that social TV, but not in the traditional sense.

All new #SharkTank tonight. Make sure to check it out. I will be live tweeting and having fun No better Fri Nite#Pregame than #Sharktank !

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) May 11, 2012

LR: Mark, you are personally an influential blogger and have an active Twitter presence. Why is it important for you to use these channels? Do you tweet while you watch TV? Do you think it makes the programming more social? Anything else you’d like to add?

Cuban: When I was on Dancing with the Stars, I was the first to use my “friends” to glomb votes. When I was on Shark Tank last year I decided to live tweet during the show and we immediately trended. I don’t know if anyone else on TV who had done it before. To me, I want to be the first to try new things, but more importantly I want to learn as much as I can about every new platform. If I don’t learn, I don’t know the value and if I don’t know the value, I can’t make good decisions on content and marketing.

LR: For someone who might not have watched yet, what’s Bikini about and why did HDNet decide to air it?

Cuban: It’s just a hair salon run by someone who you would think would get sued by his employees, but it turns out as much of a jerk he is, they always come back because they trust and like him. That’s a unique dichotomy in a setting few people would ever think they could be part of. It’s like Jersey Shore, but instead of “look at me”, it’s “this is my life, it’s not easy, but I’m trying to make it work”.

LR: What is HDNet’s social TV strategy with Bikini? What partners are you working with? How have they strategies affected ratings, brand awareness?

We really are just experimenting using all the tools at our disposal. There is not a partner goal. Our goal is to learn what works and doesn’t work so we can best leverage those ideas as we transition to AXS TV.

LR: Are the characters in the show active on social? How has that helped get the word out about the show? How did the show do in its first season?

Cuban: More and more so. From chats, to tweeting to video hangouts. It has definitely helped get the word out. The buzz has been enormous.

LR: Anything else?

Cuban: This is an age of experimentation. I’m looking at new things we can introduce to our customers/viewers through our partners and distributors.

LR: Jordan, How did you come up with the idea for Bikini Barbershop New Jersey?

Jordan Berman: This show was birthed in social media. Jeff Wulkan, the owner of Bikini Barbers in Long Branch, NJ, originally reached out to me via Facebook after discovering that I had run integrated marketing at MTV, the home of Jersey Shore. I then brought in the talented Dave Goldberg and Rob Cea as co-executive producers and we pitched the show to Mark Cuban at HDNet. We loved the juxtaposition of a classic entrepreneur story set against the backdrop of Jeff’s unfiltered personality and turbulent relationships with the salon’s staff of twentysomething bikini clad stylists.

LR: Do you think social TV is important?

Berman: I think social TV is important in two regards. First, it re-creates a communal viewing experience that existed when we all gathered in living rooms on Thursday nights to watch Cheers and Seinfeld. That behavior essentially disappeared with the rise of time shifting and multiple digital platforms. You can now watch with the world while alone on your La-Z-Boy recliner. Second, social TV creates a digital watercooler to discuss and debate the morning after. And it’s people connecting with our characters and stories that underpins the industry.

LR: As a producer how do you use social media tools?

Berman: As reality TV producers, we use social media throughout the process: uncovering stories from the digital lives of the cast, fostering interaction between audience and on-screen talent, promoting awareness/tune-in, and gauging viewer response and reaction to the finished product we put on the screen.

LR: Anything else?

Berman: Dave, Rob and I couldn’t be more excited about working with Mark Cuban and his amazing team at HDNet. They really get how technology and social media can be additive to storytelling, rather than a distraction. And where else can you find the head of a network actually walking the walk and tweeting the tweet?! : )

According to Bluefin Labs (for data between 9/19-11 and 5/6/12), Fox is the leading social TV network in the US with the most amount of “total social comments (among any TV network; cable/premium cable or broadcast)” and has the most number of “total unique social authors (among any TV network; cable/premium cable or broadcast)”.

Trendrr data shows much of the same. FOX was the top social broadcast network for the month of April with 28% broadcast social share, with NBC trailing in second place at 21%. Here are just a handful of the social TV activations Fox has implemented as key parts of their programming.

- X Factor: An innovative second screen app for X Factor, including one touch voting.

- Glee: Launching “Gleek of the Week,” where they gave shout outs to individual fans online and on-air.

- Touch: Launching “Mapping the Connections” to make sense of the show including a “Threads of Fate” to help you map connections with your own friends.

- American Idol: Launching Idolizer, where if you cheer loud enough you might get a shout out from an Idol.

- New Girl: Launching an interactive music video to customize the opening music and credits.

Lost Remote: What’s your role within Fox?

David Wertheimer: My responsibility is to oversee all of the work we do in digital and social platforms. I oversee our product as it moves online and interactions we have with viewers across new and emerging social platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and more. It’s an exciting business to be in because the landscape is shifting all the time. It all starts with content – you have to be making great content and have characters and casts and contestants. We fortunately make a lot of product that’s very compelling. We look to make the product available wherever they want to consume it.

LR: How does social TV fit into Fox’s TV lineup?

Wertheimer: To be honest, our team does a really good job across the slate of shows. We’re incredibly committed to it as a network, we love all of our children. If you look at the data that Lost Remote has reported on many times, American Idol was number one most social broadcast series, that’s on the unscripted side. We have shows like Glee right up there on the scripted shows. We go out of our way to enable that conversation, to go where consumers are, to be on new platforms like Pinterest and Tumblr – we really try to be there for viewers and enthusiasts wherever people want to talk about shows. The data speaks for itself.

LR: How does Fox approach social TV?

Wertheimer: We recognize that social media is a 24/7 phenomenon. We may have certain days and times that we broadcast the shows, but we really live by the fact that social is 24/7. We try to go where the viewers are and make sure they have things they can share. We treat it like an ecosystem. Cast members, show runners, our social team. We think of it being an ecosystem with people like you and others as part of this virtuous cycle and we really try to enable that so it becomes the system that people can run with.

We try not to do gimmicks. We try to really make it an overall part of the TV viewing experience. Scripted shows like Glee or New Girl, or Fringe. The next thing we do as a matter of focus, we try to innovative in a consumer-centric way – things that consumers would find interesting – new, but value added.

LR: What are the driving principles behind Fox’s innovation in social TV?

Wertheimer: We’re relentless about measuring what we do and having goals and measuring how we’re doing against those goals and then refining. I say with a lot of sincerity, its not an accident that we do well because we take it seriously from the highest levels of the network. We measure it and do more of what works and refine the things that don’t work. We evolve and innovate.

If we do all of that well, this leads us to the upfront. Then we have a great opportunity to bring our sponsors and partners to the table with us. To bring their brands into the context of the entertainment they’re excited about. Very few other networks or digital platforms can bring this scale and multi-platform approach.

LR: What can we look forward to at the Fox upfront?

Wertheimer: We’re not at the upfronts making any big product announcements per se. We are trying to be clear with people – this is a very serious business for us. The brands we work with really appreciate it. When you look at why brands advertise on television, it’s not only to reach audiences. It’s to be associated with emotional connections that people have. That’s why people don’t buy any ad in any show. If you’re an advertiser, you look at, what people am I trying to reach, where am I likely going to reach them. Whats the frame of mind they’ll be in when they consume that particular content.

There are an increasing number of choices to buy digital advertising or television. If they [the advertisers] can work with people who really value delivering consumer experiences across multiple platforms, that’s the best possible play for them.

LR: How will social TV evolve within the industry?

Wertheimer: I think that more and more people will start to appreciate that the experience of consuming high quality content can be enriched through digital media and social media. A lot of the things we try and do around American Idol and other shows, we try to do things that in no way takes away from your entertainment. Some people today are competing with themselves. We do a lot of second screen apps, we do it in a way that tries to add value, not take you away from the experience that you came to enjoy in the first place.

It’s finding that balance. It really is about adding value to the experience and creating this rich tapestry in digital and social that creates a 360 experience. The industry has talked about this for awhile. We are evolving all the time and I’m sure we will be doing a lot of new things by the time we talk a year from now. Technologies will change, services will change, this year’s Instagram will be something else. The principles will absolutely apply as we create multi-platform experiences.

This is such an exciting time in this business. It’s about choice, multi-platform, enriching the experience for consumers – as long as we continue to do that, we will all benefit and win.

As always, if you see one we’re missing, please email us at tips[at]lostremote.com. And if you’re company about to launch a killer new product, please drop us an email.

Like Napster, BitTorrent and other technology companies attempting to innovate and disrupt, Aereo is facing intense push back from local broadcasters. Regardless of the legal challenges they face, Aereo has a sleek design and user interface, an amazing DVR feature a mission to bring more TV to your devices and a genius CTO with engineering at his core. Chaitanya (Chet) Kanojia Aereo’s founder and CEO previously sold his company to Microsoft. We spoke with him about the social TV elements built into Aereo and how he thinks his product will make TV more social.

Lost Remote: What’s your background? How did you start Aereo?

Chaitanya (Chet) Kanojia: I am an engineer and because of that, I see the world through a different lens than most people. To me, engineering is the art of the possible. You imagine something and then you try to create it. Hopefully, along the way, you create something that has a meaningful and positive impact on people’s lives.

After my last company became part of Microsoft and I completed my tenure there, I wanted to create and learn again. I did some soul searching, and concluded that I loved the video business and wanted to grow another company. I’ve been associated with the cable industry for about 12 years and it’s been amazing to watch how the entire industry has evolved. What I’ve learned is that the industry evolved to what consumers have today largely because of accidents and limitations of technology. Most people don’t realize that the tiers and packages on pay TV grew primarily out of technical necessities. Understanding that history solidified the need in my mind, to develop a technology platform that enabled consumers to access TV online. If we could achieve that, I realized that the possibilities for consumers would expand and that our impact could be both meaningful and positive.

The idea that consumers are going to use the Internet for most things in their everyday lives, including accessing live television, is inevitable. Fundamentally, I believe consumers want choice and it was only a matter of time before someone would step up to provide just that. That’s how Aereo came to life.

LR: What social features are currently integrated with Aereo? How does the DVR work? Are your recordings saved locally to your device? Can you share snippets of video content that you’ve recorded?

Kanojia: At the moment, Aereo allows you to connect with your friends via Facebook and Twitter. You can discuss what you’re watching and see what your friends are watching. As we move forward, we’ll continue to integrate more social features to make our platform even more interactive.

When you join Aereo, you have access to an individual, integrated remote antenna and remote DVR that allows you access to live, free-to-air broadcast television on up to five different devices. Your individual remote DVR provides you with 40 hours of storage for your recordings, which are saved in the cloud and accessed by you on any of your Aereo-enabled devices. To better understand how Aereo works, you can watch this video, which shows you how the user-interface works. It’s simple, elegant and intuitive.

LR: How do you have access to the broadcast channels?

Kanojia: Aereo’s technology is truly innovative and enables consumers to have access to free-to-air broadcast television via a remote antenna and DVR on virtually any type of Internet-connected device, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and computers. The easiest way to understand it is to think of our technology as a combination of a DVR and those old-fashioned rabbit ear antennas.

Consumers have a fundamental right to access free-to-air television that broadcasts on the public airwaves. Technology has finally caught up and consumers today are able to more easily receive those television signals. Where Aereo really stands out is our technology’s simplicity. There is no application to download, no box to buy and no equipment to install. It’s free-to-air broadcast television, where you want it, when you want it, all controlled by you, the consumer.

LR: Where is Aereo available?

Kanojia: Aereo is currently available only in New York City.

LR: How do you think Aereo will contribute to the future of social TV?

Kanojia: How deeply consumers engage with social media is up to each individual, but the opportunities to enhance television consumption through social media already exist and are likely to expand – it’s something Lost Remote reports on everyday.

The Aereo platform provides easy to use social media features that enable consumers to engage socially while watching their television shows.

The company recently presented at NY Tech Meetup, where Chet boldly described how, “choice needs to be introduced into the market,” to access “quality TV.” You can watch the presentation at 1:02:33.

“Information Irene” (pictured) – You watch a lot of TV, and you need to know what that actress is wearing — and tell all your friends about it, too.

“Augmenting Andy” – You’re all about a good time, and you’d be totally pumped if someone on your tablet or phone made that Modern Family episode 100x funnier.

“Social Serena” – The social butterfly. Can you BELIEVE that character cheated on that guy? Of course not, so naturally you have to tell everyone about it.

“Pretty Things Paul” – You’re the visual type, and you like looking at pretty things, like snazzy Tumblr sites. You want a second-screen experience that looks great, too.

“Do Not Disturb Danny” – You’re tired, drained, and you just want to kick up your feet and turn off your brain when you stare at the TV screen.

“Lurker Larry” – You want to know what your friends are talking about, but you don’t feel compelled to participate in the conversation.

What do you think? What kind of second screen viewer are you, and do you think these personas accurately capture the range of second screen behavior? Click over to Miso’s blog post for more detailed descriptions.

Fox News has already pushed social TV boundaries with their coverage of the debates. In January, Twitter was deeply involved in providing social TV analytics, and in December Fox News cleverly used #answer and #dodge to listen to viewers sentiments on how each question was answered. We spoke with Jay Wallace, Vice President of News and Senior Executive Producer of News and Politics at Fox News about the program’s use of social.

Lost Remote: How do you incorporate social media into the show?

Jay Wallace: Social media’s influence on, and incorporation into Megyn Kelly’s America Live is multi-directional – from playing a role in a story and segment ideas to finding guests and real-time news updates during breaking news to promoting stories the show thinks are important. Social media has become an essential platform to get news and information out instantly and to receive feedback just as quickly.

The amazing thing about this social media age is that it’s usage on Megyn’s show and in the newsroom has grown to a point where it is hard to imagine what life was without it – it has become second nature in news production.

LR: How do you think social has helped ratings?

Wallace: While there is currently no tangible metric to gauge how social media influences ratings, the contribution it makes to the production and dissemination of news is obvious when you look at how it has become an incubator of information in the early stages of major news events. Last year alone – whether it was Hurricane Irene, the death of Osama bin Laden or the unfolding scandal at Penn State – the buzz on Twitter and Facebook in the early stages of those events most likely brought more eyeballs to our screen for those interested in knowing more.

When used properly, social media does a great job at making reporters and anchors more accessible by showing some added personality that you wouldn’t necessarily find on TV or via an exchange over email. If someone is being exposed to FNC or Megyn on Twitter or Facebook for the first time and they like what they see, there’s a good chance that the next time they are flipping through the channels and they come across her – they’ll stop and give her a try. Another opportunity to get viewers in the tent.

LR: How does the show America Live use social media?

Wallace: Megyn and her team have become active tweeters to help promote the show – it’s become part of the checklist of things to do to help get the word out each day on what will be on America Live. In addition to appearing live for a tease in the show that is on before hers and getting word to our web team for FoxNews.com, tweeting teases out before and during the show has become an important tool in the toolkit to get viewers to tune in to the program. In addition to Megyn and the show team, a growing number of contributors and guests are also tweeting out their upcoming appearances and topics to their followers which is also helping spread the word to a wider audience.

LR: Anything else you’d like to add?

Wallace: As wonderful a tool that social media has become to newsrooms, as journalists, we still need to run all the traps and double and triple check things that are discovered via the various platforms that information comes in and goes out on. It’s our job to take the time to confirm and put some of this information into the broader context of the bigger story.

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