Global uses 'Survivor' to experiment with interactive TV via iPad, iPhone app

TORONTO - Wednesday's episode of "Survivor" marked Global's first big experiment in encouraging viewers to eyeball the TV and a second screen while watching their favourite shows, but it's probably just the start.

Many Canadian viewers are already used to juggling an Internet-connected device while sitting down in front of the TV and Global wanted to tap into that trend, said Paul Burns, vice-president of online experience.

"We recognized that a huge percentage of our viewers were watching our programs with connected devices in hand at the same time — be it a tablet, or a mobile phone or a laptop — and we thought, 'Hey, that's kind of interesting, a lot of multitasking is happening; can we use that insight to build a more engaged connected experience?'"

The new "Survivor" app, which works with an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, is embedded within Global's existing app available through Apple's App Store.

The app uses the device's built-in microphone to sense exactly at which point the episode is, and displays synchronized content to the user, such as trivia questions and polls. Users choose to compete on their own or in a tribe and can chat with one another. The app also displays a curated stream of tweets, including comments from "Survivor" contestants. There are no prizes for scoring the highest, but Burns said players might get the chance to have their names flashed on TV.

Global encourages using the app during the live broadcast — users get bonus points for tuning in on Wednesday nights — but it can also be used when viewing episodes off a PVR.

"It's really, really fun and for people who enjoy the show it's almost like injecting steroids into how you watch 'Survivor.' It's just so much fun playing along and actually engaging in the program in a very credible way — it's not hokey or marketing speak by any means," Burns said.

"Who knows, this might actually change how we think about the TV viewing experience for the audience members in the long term. We're starting with 'Survivor,' but depending on how people use this, it could be a really robust, automatic connection for every program we do down the road."

Global wants to grow engaged audiences but also designed the app with advertising opportunities in mind.

"It really does have a monetization opportunity as well that we're exploring and excited about," Burns said.

"This really opens up the door, not only to be a great user experience, but also redefining how advertising could be experienced as well."

Burns said there's been a lot of talk about designing a version of the Global Video app — which he said is at close to one million downloads on the App Store — for Google's Android platform.

"We have daily conversations about Android. We'll definitely get there; it's just a question of timing and when," he said, and added that an app for Research in Motion's PlayBook is less of a priority.

"When you build an app you sort of have to make some strategic bets on where you're going to get the most bang for the buck and where you're going to reach the most people. ... PlayBook is definitely one of those ones we talk about often but have yet to pull the trigger on."