Reports from the recent Cable Show in Boston revealed that 85 percent of U.S. tablet owners are using their tablet while they watch TV. Their smartphone is also likely nearby. Many consumers are facebooking, texting and googling while watching TV. The potential for attention shifting due to ‘companion screens’ or ‘second screens’ is pervasive. However, innovative companies are taking advantage of the second screen to engage loyal consumers in ever more interesting ways.
QuickPlay recently helped U.S. telco giant Verizon build the ultimate fan experience app for IndyCar racing (IndyCar Mobile App). IndyCar racing is extremely popular with 40 million fans around the world. While ABC has traditional broadcast rights, Verizon has the rights to mobile-specific content and needed a solution that would enable them to deliver content in a way that met the needs of their customers. Building on our cloud-based OpenVideo platform, QuickPlay tapped into three specific areas of our expertise – video, web-technology and app development. The result was an app that delivers key information and statistics around the races, including news, video-on-demand, still photos, live race information and best of all – live video feeds from in-car cameras. This app is a stellar example of a true companion app that uses the second screen to enhance the experience of watching the event live on TV.
IndyCar is delivered in the form of a native app for the Android platform and an HTML5 app for iOS devices. In the video above, we take you the behind the scenes at QuickPlay to show what it takes to bring the excitement of the IndyCar racing to Verizon subscribers.
