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MUMBAI: Infotainment broadcaster History TV18 has recently launched an app which allows fans to interact with each other around feeds (videos, images, facts), participate in show discussions and create conversations on various topics.
Speaking to TelevisionPost.com on the progress made so far on the app, A+E Networks TV18 JV VP, head marketing Sangeetha Aiyer said, “The app sees active users throughout the day. People consistently chat on the app; the live ticker runs for about 12 hours a day, encouraging people to discuss their favourite shows on the app and interact with other fans.
Our users also create various polls and quizzes on our shows and characters, making it a very interactive experience and building a community of History TV18 fans.” Talking about the importance of new media like smartphones, she noted that with the advent of smartphones and broadband connectivity, increase in content consumption on over-the-top (OTT) platforms will become an eventuality.
“How media companies evolve in response to this change in consumer behaviour is something we have to wait and watch. At History TV18, we are embracing the change and ensuring our content is available where the viewer wants it to be, as more and more people consume content on the go and at their convenience. In this regard, it would be fair to say that apps are the new websites. Television is one of the prime movers of social media, so it made eminent sense for our channel to adapt mobile as a medium to reach our audiences,” Aiyer added.
In terms of the investment being made in the app, she said that besides the basic cost of development, the main investment with respect to the app has been the space the ticker occupies on the channel. “However, we expect great returns in the long term as the ticker has definitely increased viewer interaction and engagement based on the second-screen concept. “Thorough research and ideation have gone into the development of the History TV18 app.
Though this second-screen app has been promoted in a traditional way, primarily through promos on our channel and network, we are seeing growth in a very organic, viral manner, spreading through word of mouth. Our audiences can also see the live ticker on air, which serves as a promotion and directly communicates its utility and functionality to users instantly and at some level, helps brings perspective to the channel by taking viewer involvement to the next level,” she explains.
She also noted that the app has crossed over 250,000 downloads from across the country in one month and is well on its way to reaching half a million downloads by the end of this month. “Over 7,000 people have rated us with an average of 4.4 on the Google Play Store. Even on iOS where the standards are extremely high, 60+ people have reviewed the app, a majority of whom have given it a rating of 5/5. Reading the reviews, I am quite humbled by the love and affection our fans have for us. I am probably biased, but it wouldn’t be an overestimation to call this one of the best received apps in the industry,” added Aiyer.
Read more at: History TV18 engaging with fans with new app | TelevisionPost.com | TelevisionPost.com
Speaking to TelevisionPost.com on the progress made so far on the app, A+E Networks TV18 JV VP, head marketing Sangeetha Aiyer said, “The app sees active users throughout the day. People consistently chat on the app; the live ticker runs for about 12 hours a day, encouraging people to discuss their favourite shows on the app and interact with other fans.
Our users also create various polls and quizzes on our shows and characters, making it a very interactive experience and building a community of History TV18 fans.” Talking about the importance of new media like smartphones, she noted that with the advent of smartphones and broadband connectivity, increase in content consumption on over-the-top (OTT) platforms will become an eventuality.
“How media companies evolve in response to this change in consumer behaviour is something we have to wait and watch. At History TV18, we are embracing the change and ensuring our content is available where the viewer wants it to be, as more and more people consume content on the go and at their convenience. In this regard, it would be fair to say that apps are the new websites. Television is one of the prime movers of social media, so it made eminent sense for our channel to adapt mobile as a medium to reach our audiences,” Aiyer added.
In terms of the investment being made in the app, she said that besides the basic cost of development, the main investment with respect to the app has been the space the ticker occupies on the channel. “However, we expect great returns in the long term as the ticker has definitely increased viewer interaction and engagement based on the second-screen concept. “Thorough research and ideation have gone into the development of the History TV18 app.
Though this second-screen app has been promoted in a traditional way, primarily through promos on our channel and network, we are seeing growth in a very organic, viral manner, spreading through word of mouth. Our audiences can also see the live ticker on air, which serves as a promotion and directly communicates its utility and functionality to users instantly and at some level, helps brings perspective to the channel by taking viewer involvement to the next level,” she explains.
She also noted that the app has crossed over 250,000 downloads from across the country in one month and is well on its way to reaching half a million downloads by the end of this month. “Over 7,000 people have rated us with an average of 4.4 on the Google Play Store. Even on iOS where the standards are extremely high, 60+ people have reviewed the app, a majority of whom have given it a rating of 5/5. Reading the reviews, I am quite humbled by the love and affection our fans have for us. I am probably biased, but it wouldn’t be an overestimation to call this one of the best received apps in the industry,” added Aiyer.
Read more at: History TV18 engaging with fans with new app | TelevisionPost.com | TelevisionPost.com
