The Race For The Second Screen: 5 Apps That Are Shaping Social TV. It’s easy to understand why 2012 is shaping up to be the year of social TV.
Consumers are turning to the so-called second screen like never before. A 2011 whitepaper prepared by Yahoo/Nielsen reported that as many as 86 percent of viewers use mobile devices while watching TV. While many think that number might be high, it signals a trend in consumer behavior that cannot be ignored. Broadcasters and marketers are feeling the heat of both risk and reward. Risk if they do nothing and cede the second screen to Twitter and Angry Birds; reward if they find a way to deliver companion experiences, drive engagement--and expand ad inventory.
First Play: Zeebox. For most apps we'd write a regular review focusing on design, usability and content but Anthony Rose's new Social TV service, Zeebox, has way too many features to fit that model.
So instead, here are our first impressions of the iPad app: how it innovates, how it works and where it might need a little re-jigging. 5 Brilliant Things 1. The TV Guide We're not usually so pithy but here there's no alternative: the Zeebox interface is gorgeous. The Race For The Second Screen: Five Apps That Are Shaping Social TV.