Live TV also looked like a thing of the past.  What’s the difference when you watched something if you weren’t going to delve into it til the next day, or after the weekend.  Timeshifting was going to rule, DVRs would be everywhere and commercials, well, they were going to become a quaint idea.

Today, with the explosion of Twitter usage, social TV app launches and seemingly a tablet in every lap / smartphone in every hand, the water cooler has moved online.  For any big TV event and an increasing number of shows, you run a huge risk of not participating in the online conversation.  Waiting until tomorrow to discuss is to late, and not watching live likely puts you in an online spoiler minefield.  Tread at your own peril.

With a number of major TV events coming up over the first part of this year, like the Super Bowl, Grammy’s, Oscars, Final Four, and later TV finales like American Idol and this summer’s Olympics, it’s time for social TV to shine.  There’s been a lot of development over the last year from both independent firms and networks/cable channels building out their TV companion experiences – along with a lot of venture $$$ – that should be in a position to capture the increasing demand from viewers for an instant, online conversation locale.  These big events are extraordinarily well suited for all these social TV apps.  Most apps should be able to take advantage of their most important missing ingredient: volume.  People are talking online and with all the chatter that these events will drive, those apps that have positioned themselves and built engaging experiences should begin to stand out from the pack.

An important result from the preponderance of apps and their growing audience is the increased interest from national brands doing TV advertising.  More brands are looking to engage with these audiences and test out the best way to reach them.  In fact, analysts from Forrester recently reported specifically on the importance of the second screen and recommended testing interactive marketing opportunities there to make the most of TV buys.

Some brands are doing just that.  A number of innovative Super Bowl advertisers are complementing their multimillion dollar buys during the game by running our Sync Ads across a number of mobile and web companion experiences.  More details on this initiative may be found on our company blog.

No matter who you’re rooting for this Sunday, we’ll see you, and likely a lot of your friends, online!

NBC’s recently launched NBC Live app is one approach to bringing the water cooler to the digital age. According to NBC:

Don’t just watch TV, interact with TV! Welcome to NBC Live, the most fun you can have while watching your favorite NBC shows. Talk with fellow fans, enjoy trivia and polls, and even interact with NBC stars on your iPad while watching on your TV set.

Unlike some of the cable-based apps that have recently run into contractual problems with their live streaming, NBC’s taking the approach of building community and focusing on engagement.  What’s particularly intriguing is the emphasis on content-programming synchronization, providing content tied to what viewers are watching at the time.  With more people having and using second screen devices (smartphones, tablets and laptops) while they’re watching the tube, NBC’s smart to latch on to this behavior.

It will be interesting to see whether the networks prove successful with these network-based companion apps, or whether show-specific ones gain steam.  Possibly, third party developed apps that focus in the sector could become popular, though such independent projects also risk running afoul of infringement issues.

Regardless, the view is that viewer focus is divided between screens so content producers might as well work to win both screens.  Whether they look to monetize these growing audiences and how is still to be seen.

A number of companies are working on building out better second screen experiences. One is Yap.TV and its updated app for the iPhone/iPad. Yap.TV provides a true second screen experience and is likely the first of many such apps.  It’s specifically designed not only as a guide but as a complement to your TV viewing.

There’s a detailed reviewed here (TUAW.com) but highlights include the ability to interact with your friends and others watching, create and take polls, create private chats and rich real-time functionality.

This app looks like a great first step of how to enrich the TV viewing experience with mobile/tablet technology.

If you’re new to the space, she highlights some of the leading players.

Viewers want more than simply throwing comments out into the Twittersphere. New applications that promote engagement and true immersion into the TV viewing experience are coming and will certainly drive this increasing ‘second screen’ experience. Whether on your laptop, smartphone, tablet, the demand for more interactivity and participation is there. We’re anxious to see how the industry will meet it.

First, some stats from marketing agency Digital Clarity:

• 80% of under-25s used a second screen to communicate with friends while watching TV and
• 72% used Twitter, Facebook or a mobile app to comment on shows

Clearly, viewers aren’t waiting for TV producers to engage them; they’re doing it themselves around their own social graphs and popular social networking apps (see: Twitter, Facebook).  While Twitter CEO Dick Costello recently proclaimed that the “second screen is Twitter,” it is only now because the alternatives are limited.

However, there’s a ripe opportunity here.  The BBC also referenced a Nielsen mobile study which showed over 85% of mobile and PC users accessing the web while watching TV, though just under a quarter were viewing content related to the TV show they were viewing.

How to leverage this opportunity?  More engaging sites and applications need to be created, so viewers can get a richer experience and be plugged in more with their friends.  Clearly, new platforms will enable watching TV to be more social, whether from TV producers or from advertisers looking to “join the conversation” as they like to say.  Who chooses to lead the way is still to be determined.

There are numerous ‘check-in’ apps like GetGlue and Philo, specialty apps around watercooler events like the Oscars and TV show companion apps from innovative producers like those from Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) and Bones (Fox).

We believe we’re still in the nascent stage of what we’ll have and be using shortly (sort of like those pre-cable TV days with only about 10 stations!).  Not too soon, it may even be strange to remember we just sat silently on the couch.

We’d love to hear from you on where you think the second screen’s going and how it’ll impact our behavior.  Have something to say?  We welcome posts from anyone who wants to participate in this conversation.  See you on the second screen!