TV 2 Sporten Runs First Live-Broadcast Companion App With never.no Technology
OSLO, Norway — Sept. 5, 2011 — never.no today announced that its Interactivity Suite (IS) enabled the world’s first live synchronized companion app for iOS and Android™ devices. TV 2 Norway used the IS’ new Synchronized Companion App Framework during its live coverage of the Tour de France to enable a completely complementary and immersive two-screen experience. The results are in, and they are spectacular: the number of app downloads increased by 267 percent from 2010, while the number of paid VoD users increased by a whopping 533 percent.
Synchronized Companion App Framework enables content to be delivered to a tablet, mobile device, or PC in sync with the action on the viewer’s television screen. TV 2 developed companion apps especially for the Tour de France, which viewers downloaded to their iPhone(R), iPad(R), or Android devices before or during the race. Then, using never.no’s IS as a framework, TV 2 pushed moment-by-moment stats and other information to viewers to complement what was happening on the TV screen. In addition, never.no’s technology allowed producers in the studio to use the apps to interact with the audience via chat and viewer polls relevant to live events.
“There has never been a better way to provide a fully immersive two-screen experience, which enhances — rather than distract from — our core programming,” said Morten Jørs, managing editor of TV 2 Sporten. “The fact that we now have a tool that allows us to add value and engage our viewers as the action unfolds opens up a whole new world in terms of gaining and retaining audience share.”
Powered by the never.no IS, Synchronized Companion App Framework monitors frame-by-frame changes in broadcast programming or live production, and then uses the changes to trigger delivery of specified content to the second screen. Additionally the framework provides an active return channel to the broadcaster, making tablets, smartphones, and PCs the perfect peripherals for participation. By using the Synchronized Companion App Framework, broadcasters can develop distinctive, branded applications that push/pull relevant content to and from the second screen, building viewer engagement, loyalty, and value.
“It’s a privilege that our technology played a part in this industry first, and that we got to collaborate with TV 2 to make it happen,” said never.no CEO Lars Lauritzsen. “Throughout our long relationship with TV 2, they have always been the first to pioneer original viewer experiences and push innovation. TV 2 is truly a cutting-edge organization that sets the standard.”
More information about never.no products is available at www.never.no or by phone at +47 22 01 66 20.
About TV 2
TV 2, based in Bergen, is the largest commercial television station in Norway. More than 30 percent of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65 percent of the market for TV commercials in Norway. TV 2 started broadcasts in September 1992.
About never.no
never.no’s award-winning interactive “TV. Mobile. Social. 1Framework.” technology connects fragmented media platforms across broadcast TV systems, mobile, and social media platforms — enabling real-time viewer participation, social TV, and synchronized companion apps. In operation since 1999, never.no has a global customer base including top brands such as BBC, CTVglobeMedia, Danmarks Radio, Etisalat, Music Choice, TV Norge, TV 2 Norge, TV 2 Danmark, and Viasat. More information about never.no products is available at www.never.no.
