Smart Screen Exclusive

By Lyndsey Schaefer

Mobovivo is laying the groundwork for the future of the second screen landscape, not just in the United States, but through partnerships in Latin America as well. The second screen software company enables media companies to distribute and market branded apps for a range of devices, including: iOS, Android, Roku and Samsung Smart TVs. Trevor Doerksen, the company’s Founder and CEO, says that with its customers such as Globo TV in Brazil, AXS TV in the U.S. and Epitome Pictures in Canada, Mobovivo has been able to engage audiences with companion experiences for sports, scripted programming and advertising.

“TV audiences are using their smartphones and tablets while watching TV, and our customers want to engage and activate those viewers on second screens with their brands and programming,” Doerksen says.

If an actress or athlete appears on the first screen, her background information and Twitter feed appears on the user’s second screen (e.g. her performance history, upcoming projects, and biographical information).

Drama, reality TV shows and other genres including sports have character and story arcs. The second screen is either a distraction from TV or a companion to these story lines, Doerksen explains. “If viewers are using a companion device, they can follow what’s happening on TV in more depth and producers and networks can capture viewers’ attention, rather than allowing them to get distracted or tempted to use the remote control.”

In the sports arena, Mobovivo is currently integrating in-stadium smartphone photos, videos, and social interaction with live sports programming. When fans are using the app at the sporting event (i.e. a soccer match), photos are curated and visible to all users engaging in the experience, both at home and in the stadium. The best fan photos and videos are displayed on the jumbotron, second screen apps and broadcast TV. This new concept is currently being deployed for sports networks and other customers.

Mobovivo’s first commercialized product was a streaming VOD platform for web and apps debuted in July 2010, Doerksen says. Then, in April 2011, Mobovivo released its companion TV platform, “Stay Tuned,” which allows producers, networks, and brands to deploy second screen experiences synced to TV.

“Our first second screen project was the AXS TV Fight App. We had a great partner early on — Mark Cuban and his team at AXS TV — in collaboration with them, our goal was not to replace TV or the TV networks, but to be a companion to live TV programming,” Doerksen says. “The power of TV isn’t going anywhere.  Consumers get a heads up, heads down experience.”

Quad Sync Live, Mobovivo’s sync-to-broadcast application, powers the company’s second screen platform. The application incorporates Mobovivo’s closed captioning sync technology with Civolution’s Automated Content Recognition (ACR) solutions. Quad Sync Live works with zero latency for all programming, including sports and advertising.

In addition to partnering with Civolution for ACR, Mobovivo has partnered with 1K Studios for movies and Dome Productions for sports, entertainment and second screen production.

For the balance of the year and into 2013, Mobovivo will be working on a half dozen projects for the next TV season, including scripted programming, reality shows and sports in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and the UK. The company has offices in L.A., Toronto, Calgary and São Paulo.

To find out more, visit www.mobovivo.com or follow @Mobovivo.