Team CoCo breaks into Social TV with new App

It’s official, Conan O’brien is getting his own app. As part of a major push by Turner’s entertainment networks to embrace second screen viewing and smart TVs, TBS is planning to introduce complementary content and eventually ad messages to a slew of its shows, starting with a tablet app designed to be accessed during episodes of  Conan.

Using audio recognition technology (similar to the technology employed by the popular smartphone app Shazam ), each episode of Conan will be fingerprinted. As a result, users of the new Conan app will be periodically pushed information relevant to the show, such as facts about a guest’s movie.

And soon, viewers will be able to buy tickets to those guests’ movies via the app. A demo version of the app features a potential Conan eCommerce integration. During a demo clip, as actress Ellie Kemper of Bridesmaids sat down with host Conan O’Brien,  viewers were prompted to purchase tickets to Bridesmaids via the app.

TBS and TNT also plan to start building ads into its companion apps for the shows The Big Bang Theory and Leverage tied to TV spots airing during those shows. For example, ads for advertisers like Twizzlers or Little Caesar’s could prompt viewers to provide their email address or phone number via the companion app to receive a coupon.

Turner is looking to establish itself early as a leader in smart TV technology. For now, that interaction requires viewers to do so via an app. But  all of the examples Turner is developing could be ported to the TV screen itself, once enough smart TVs are installed.

There’s little question that social TV, as well companion tablet viewing, are taking off among consumers. However, it remains to be seen how many Americans are ready, or even know about the promise of connected TVs. And there’s also the risk of couponing TV viewers to death – and turning the ultimate branding vehicle into a banner-ad-filled direct response medium.

But credit Turner for trying to learn, and lead. “We are trying to understand the consumer marketplace,” said David Levy, TBS’ president of sales, distribution and sports. “People react to advertising differently on different screens, and we’re trying to figure out, ‘what is the next evolution of TV everywhere?’ and ‘do you sell it differently?’ We’re learning with our partners. After all, I’m a brand too.”