History Hit Series Ushers in Social TV

By Emily Claire Afan – PlayBack Daily

Photo courtesy of Omni Factual

Vancouver’s FanTrust, Omni Film Productions and History Television are trying a new approach to draw in viewers and fans for Wednesday’s season two launch of docu-series Ice Pilots NWT.

Vancouver-based entertainment strategy company FanTrust, has been working with Omni for several years and interactive house Switch United on the social TV initiative while taking advantage of the brand’s large and dedicated fan base.

“The goal is to take it a layer deeper and get folks to watch and play while the episode is airing,” FanTrust president Catherine Warren tells Playback Daily.

“Social TV is designed to further engage audience. The more they engage in real time, the more success there is of brand building.”

History TV is slated to place on-air bugs during broadcasts, informing users that they can participate via online, smartphones or iPads. Opinion-based questions will appear throughout the duration of the episode and submitting a simple answer to a question such as ‘Will characters X and Y get together?’ that may appear (think Pop-Up Video) when those characters are on screen.

After participating, users will be treated exclusive Ice Pilots shorts, with one bonus video made available per week.

“Commenting will happen in real time,” adds Warren. “It’s supposed to be a quick, fast, fun experience, and viewers will be able to see what other fans have said. It’s the ultimate water cooler discussion with the whole show’s audience.”

This is an excerpt from the article in Playback Daily. Click here for a PDF of the article.