I recently signed up for the new mobile app Viggle that awards you for checking in to TV shows. I thought it was a cool idea, and one was new to me. The way Viggle users are awarded points is by amount of time spent watching shows, and through featured shows. There are featured shows that give you a certain amount of points, for example The Simpsons is valued at 325 points, and the Walking Dead is valued at 300 points. Otherwise a user receives 120 points for each hour of television watched. Points are given at the end of a show, and if you check into a new show partway through the episode you are awarded for the amount of minutes you spent on the previous show.
When you sign in, you set your location and television provider so that Viggle can recognize the programming in your area. The “Check In” button then scans the audio of the show playing, similar to Sound Hound and other apps, then asks you to confirm the selection it pulls up. I have had a few instances where the audio feature didn’t work due to background noise, but then I was able to manually check in by typing in the name of the show. Viggle also lets you check into shows you have recorded through DVR.
Viggle gives rewards of gifts cards - $5 gift cards at 7,500 points, and $10 gift cards at $14,000 points. Some of the companies participating in the Viggle rewards program are: iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Burger King, Sephora, Foot Locker, Lowe’s, Papa John’s Travelocity, and Target to name a few. There are also higher tiers of prizes. Amazon is giving away a Kindle at 175,000 point mark.
Viggle recently acquired the company Loyalize as a means of real-time audience engagement. During the Grammys users were able to participate in polls and voting as a means of earning points. Users can also discuss the shows they’re watching through the “Latest Chatter” feature, which is a comment stream that users can also choose to share through Facebook or Twitter.
I’m already at almost 6,000 points, and I can’t wait to start getting some gift cards!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Super Bowl Streamed for the First Time
I decided to do a post about streaming video for today’s post. Specifically, the streaming of live video feeds is of particular interest to me, and with the Super Bowl being streamed for the first time ever tonight, I thought it would be a good topic to search up on.
It took a lot to get the licensing of the Super Bowl on mobile devices, as well as a lot of technical work. One thing to note is that the event is only available through Verizon customers with NFL mobile, and also only for specific versions of the Android platform. It is also recommend to do the stream through a wireless connection for best viewing results. This makes sense, as many people are most likely trying to view the event, causing lots of strain on anyone attempting to view through 3G or 4GLTE. There are also a number of unofficial streams out there for those that can’t view the official sources, but the NFL has been cracking down on these mediums.
However, it is expected that most NFL games will be kept off the internet for the foreseeable future. There is still a lot of money in network television, and also a lot less revenue in airing online ads. NBC is banking on most online viewers already watching the game on TV, and only tuning in online to receive bonus material. Don’t expect the quality of sports related video streams such as this to get better anytime soon either, as network television has plenty of money tied up in keeping the games on TV only.
So while this year’s Super Bowl being streamed online may be more of an experiment than the new norm, I think it presents an interesting view of what the future may potentially hold. Networks will have to figure out how to make online streaming more cost effective for them before they give up TV broadcasts, so expect to see more and more subscription fees before it becomes a format that users can tune in to for free as they can with TV.
It took a lot to get the licensing of the Super Bowl on mobile devices, as well as a lot of technical work. One thing to note is that the event is only available through Verizon customers with NFL mobile, and also only for specific versions of the Android platform. It is also recommend to do the stream through a wireless connection for best viewing results. This makes sense, as many people are most likely trying to view the event, causing lots of strain on anyone attempting to view through 3G or 4GLTE. There are also a number of unofficial streams out there for those that can’t view the official sources, but the NFL has been cracking down on these mediums.
However, it is expected that most NFL games will be kept off the internet for the foreseeable future. There is still a lot of money in network television, and also a lot less revenue in airing online ads. NBC is banking on most online viewers already watching the game on TV, and only tuning in online to receive bonus material. Don’t expect the quality of sports related video streams such as this to get better anytime soon either, as network television has plenty of money tied up in keeping the games on TV only.
So while this year’s Super Bowl being streamed online may be more of an experiment than the new norm, I think it presents an interesting view of what the future may potentially hold. Networks will have to figure out how to make online streaming more cost effective for them before they give up TV broadcasts, so expect to see more and more subscription fees before it becomes a format that users can tune in to for free as they can with TV.
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