LOS ANGELES & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--mms, (mobile.messaging.solutions, inc.), a leading provider of mobile engagement and messaging solutions, today announced that it will launch its new Watchpoints product in May , a social viewing application for watching and interacting with your favorite television shows (www.watchpoints.com).
The new proprietary Watchpoints technology autonomously monitors TV content as it simultaneously detects what show a viewer is watching by using mms’ Audio Thumbprinting technology on their mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Once it has validation someone is tuned in to a program, Watchpoints creates a new second screen layer around the content for viewers to interact with on their mobile device. Just as Facebook places and Foursquare have created a virtual layer for the real world, Watchpoints creates a virtual layer for television.
Watchpoints creates an exciting platform for interactivity and daily quests that drive engagement. Editorial content, user-generated content and advertising comprise the Watchpoints homescreen with elements that include viewer comments, show tune-in reminders; show-info; SMS voting; trivia games; sweepstakes; moderated chats; downloadable content and more. Watchpoints users can update and post all activity news on Facebook and Twitter walls. Viewers are rewarded for engagement with Watchpoints they can redeem for physical or digital goods and services.
According to a recent Yahoo study (01/2011) over 86% of viewers have their cell phones in their hands while watching TV. Nielsen has reported that 59% of U.S. Internet users browse the Internet and watch TV simultaneously (Nielsen, 2010) it via their mobile devices.
Watchpoints can create communities of people who want to discuss a show, topic, genre, anything. It can make it easier for them to tweet and post about it. For advertisers, the new Watchpoints technology enables them to interact with the audience on the second screen directly – offering value added services and show-related products that are engaging and relevant to the viewers.
“Watchpoints gives viewers a richer television experience by engaging them in real time with fun and rewarding ways to interact with content over their mobile devices without fast-forwarding through ads or sponsor messages,” said Kai Buehler, CEO of mms North America. “Watchpoints’ unique audio-matching technology creates an exciting platform for interactivity and daily quests that drive engagement.”
Become one of the first users and start collecting Watchpoints, by signing up on www.watchpoints.com or go to www.facebook.com/watchpoints
About mms
mms (mobile.messaging.solutions, inc.) is a leading provider of mobile engagement and messaging solutions. mms powers 80% of all interactive mobile TV campaigns in the U.S. for 100 million combined viewers weekly. The company divested out of VeriSign in 2008 and has US offices in Los Angeles, Boston and Miami.
mms has delivered marketing campaigns across Europe and North America for major brands such as Coca-Cola, Bell Mobility, CBS, Univision, NBC Universal, bwin, Clear Channel and Star Alliance. To learn more about mms and their award-winning programs, visit http://www.mms.us.