tvChatter iPhone Application from frog design Uses Twitter to Make TV Social
SAN FRANCISCO, October 16, 2009 - Global innovation firm frog design today announced the release of tvChatter, a free application for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows TV viewers to easily participate in Twitter conversations about TV shows.
tvChatter facilitates a new social viewing experience for television by presenting users with real time Twitter-fueled commentary about popular prime time television programs. While watching a show on a TV or PC, users can simultaneously follow relevant streaming commentary about a program-called a tweet stream-on their iPhone or iPod touch. With a Twitter account, users can participate in the social commentary by posting comments, replying to others or filtering their followers for a more intimate conversation with friends.
“Research has shown that people are multi-tasking more than ever while watching TV. They are having conversations on IM, Facebook, and Twitter about the shows they love,” said Mark Gauger, Chief Development Officer at frog design “With tvChatter, we're building on this existing behavior, taking it even further to engage TV viewers with social media that helps them connect with others and easily share their experience.”
The application comes with a social programming guide that lists popular TV shows and tvChatter events. A tvChatter event is an opportunity to interact with a special guest who is scheduled to appear in the tweet stream. The guide contains a featured listing and may also change periodically depending on TV programming seasons, special televised events, and requests from users. NBC has partnered with frog for the launch of the application and the network's programming will feature prominently in the guide.
In a recent report on Social TV, industry observer NewTeeVee identified “combining television and interactivity” as an emerging trend. A Nielsen report also underscored this movement towards social TV viewing, finding that people who used Facebook while watching the Oscars watched about 50% more of the broadcast than the average Oscar viewer. tvChatter capitalizes on this trend by using Twitter, the most popular real-time social media site, to make the TV-watching experience more social. According to a recent eMarketer report, by the end of the year 18 million Twitter users in the US will access the service at least once per month - a 200% increase over 2008 levels. Usage is expected to increase to 26 million US adults in 2010, which represents a further 44.4% climb.
In addition to appealing to consumers, the application has significant benefits for television and cable networks as well as advertisers. With the real-time nature of Twitter, tvChatter presents an opportunity to connect with television audiences in different ways, keeping them engaged for longer durations during a new episode of a broadcast show. “An engaged audience is much more likely to see and eventually participate in television advertising,” said Mike Goos, Director of Product Management at frog design. “In addition to the real-time TV value, tvChatter supports time-shifted viewing. Several of our beta users created viewing parties around programming provided via Hulu.”
tvChatter is part of frog design's new family of Smartphone applications. Combining its 40-year history in product innovation with award-winning capabilities in mobile development and design, frog is releasing a family of cross-category consumer applications for the iPhone and other mobile platforms. tvChatter is frog's second Smartphone application following the release of Postcard Express, an iPhone app for sharing geo-tagged digital postcards. frog will launch a third application for consumer health and wellness later this year.
Each application is designed, developed, branded, and marketed by frog. “Following the debut of the iPhone, frog has developed numerous applications for clients who are looking for richer, more user-friendly apps for their customers. We believe that developing our own apps will help us stay close to emerging consumer trends and accelerate the innovation cycle for our clients and ourselves.”
For more info visit: www.tvchatterapp.com
Download tvChatter from the AppStore on iTunes
About frog design, inc.
frog design is a global innovation firm and works with the world's leading companies, helping them to create and bring to market meaningful products, services, and experiences. frog's multidisciplinary process reveals valuable consumer and market insights and inspires lasting, humanizing solutions. With a team of more than 400 designers, technologists, strategists, and analysts, frog delivers fully convergent experiences that span multiple technologies, platforms, and media. frog works across a broad spectrum of industries, including consumer electronics, telecommunications, healthcare, media, education, finance, retail, and fashion. Clients include Disney, GE, HP, Logitech, Microsoft, MTV, Seagate, Yahoo! and others. Founded in 1969, frog is headquartered in San Francisco, with studios in Austin, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Milan, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, and Shanghai. frog design is an independent division of Aricent, a global innovation, technology, and outsourcing company, focused exclusively on communications. Aricent is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Sequoia Capital, The Family Office, and Flextronics.
Contact
Sara Munday
Director of Marketing and Communications
frog design inc.
T: 415-489-3073
M: 650-387-2061
sara.munday@frogdesign.com