Facebook has launched a number of second screen tools including voting buttons, custom icons and a photo submission app, to help broadcasters encourage interaction from the new generation of ‘second screen’ viewers.
The concept of ‘second screening’ (viewers watching two devices simultaneously) is valuable to broadcasters and advertisers alike, giving more clout to TV by pushing viewers to their websites during programmes and commercials.
Twitter has long been successful at engaging with second screeners, but now Facebook is keen to take on its smaller rival.
Announcing the launch in a blog post, Bob Morgan, a Partner Engineering Director at Facebook said: “TV viewers are connecting on Facebook during their favorite broadcast programs. We highlighted one relevant study on our Facebook for Business blog which found that 85% of people who reported visiting a social network while watching TV said they visited Facebook.
“Our own researchers discovered that Facebook usage peaks in primetime, in every country, and that the maximum daily Facebook audience occurs during maximum TV viewing.”
Hashtag voting
Hashtag voting lets users cast votes within a top-level post or a comment.
Previously, shows could direct users to apps within pages. With the new hashtag voting broadcasters can make use of hashtag voting to affect show outcomes by giving fans either a unique hashtag or a hashtag trigger (such as #NBABallot) followed by a free text with another voting option.
Viewer Submissions
A new API powered by Telescope lets broadcasters gather multimedia responses and contributions from their audience through uploader landing pages.
Those can be anything from video questions (Fox News used this to solicit questions for August’s GOP debate) to funny submissions for late-night talk shows or audition videos.
Additionally, producers can build galleries that can be embedded in Facebook Page tabs or show sites and apps. HBO used this to help select the winner for its current season of Project Greenlight.
View a sample below from Fox News:
Immigration, national security, the economy… What do you want to ask the 2016 presidential candidates? Submit a video with your question by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1H4seMV YOU could be featured during the Fox News-Facebook debate August 6th on Fox News Channel.
Posted by Fox News on Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Custom Icons
Facebook will give live TV events their own icons to distinguish related content and offer some cool visual cohesion to the conversation happening around a specific event such as the Emmys.
View this sample from the Teen Choice Awards below:
Check in to Teen Choice on Facebook NOW!
Question 1: Are you watching Teen Choice?!Question 2: Have you checked in yet?! Do it now & get your own cute little surfboard icon!
Posted by FOX Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, 16 August 2015
Facebook’s research found that of those viewers who visit a social network while watching TV, 85% visit Facebook.