Broadcasters must work harder on second screen, says Shazam CTO

Second screen applications offer huge potential for broadcasters, service providers and advertisers, but developers must determine use cases before launching services, according to Jason Titus, the chief technology officer of Shazam.

“Smartphones are becoming the norm for interacting with the TV. We have an opportunity to take advantage of that screen to do interesting things but you need to be thinking about use cases – why are people gong to use it? One problem is that people do things because they can be done, not because people want use them,” Titus told attendees at the OTTtv World Summit in London this morning.

Music and TV discovery app provider Shazam works with content owners and advertisers to extend engagement from the TV to smartphones. The company has carried out over 200 Shazam-enabled ad campaigns and Titus said it is beginning to define a number of best practices for advertisers. “We tell partners not to put a call of action in the last five seconds of an ad. Also, don’t link to a desktop website,” he said. “During the next six months we will see very smooth experiences.”

Titus said second screen engagement can help advertisers to extend engagement with viewers beyond the “expensive 30-second spot”, and offer more relevant feedback on the engagement. “The problem advertisers have is that they get a 30 second ad and then it’s over. They have little way of knowing how people are engaging with the ads. We give them real numbers – how many people are engaging, how they are doing it, for how long. We can also tell them whether their spend can be used better elsewhere,” Titus said.

Titus said the response rates from Shazam enabled adverts and TV shows was higher in some European markets than in the US, including in the UK, Spain and Italy. “We have seen a much higher response in European markets. Our first campaign in Spain was huge without a big marketing campaign. In the UK, people are used to interacting with the red button,” he said.