Agora Media Group Innovation Blog

Press release taken from ClipSynch website:

- TV and Movie Content Providers can make Shows More “Social” with Embedded Interactive Features
- Consumers can Watch Content While Interacting with Friends – Where Ever They’re Watching
- Social TV Platform Easily Handles Solo Viewing, Private or Large-Scale Events Drawing Thousands of Viewers

San Francisco, CA – December 7, 2009 — ClipSync, developers of the first true “Social TV” platform that makes TV viewing highly interactive, announced today that it has partnered with Boxee, the easiest way to enjoy entertainment from the Internet or computer on a TV to allow the seamless integration of ClipSync’s Social TV features to all Boxee video content partners. The partnership is intended to further augment Boxee’s social offering for users.

ClipSync’s interactive Social TV platform offers Boxee TV and movie content partners “plug and play” social features that offer a unique and creative way to keep viewers fully engaged – which lengthens viewing time, drives new traffic, and retains viewership. The ClipSync Social TV platform is designed to easily “snap on” to a media company’s current Boxee application, allowing them to maintain control of their video stream while enhancing the traditional viewing experience. Viewers will be able to interact with others at the exact time they’re watching content on Boxee, including playing trivia and chatting with their network of friends. Additionally, viewers can leave behind comments synchronized to the content for the next viewer to see and react to at the exact same moment.

Boxee is the first “social” media center, whose free, downloadable software and enabled devices are changing the way consumers experience home entertainment. On a computer or on a dedicated device connected to an HDTV, Boxee gives users a simple way to bring all their entertainment into one place including personal movies and TV shows, as well as streaming content from websites like Netflix, MLB.TV, Pandora and Flickr.

“We’ve heard about ‘social TV’ for years, but only now are we really starting to see it take place with the mainstream content now available online,” said Boxee CEO Avner Ronen. “Our partnership with ClipSync is a great step forward in giving content partners the plug-n-play technology needed to give consumers a more engaging experience – with the fun social interaction they’re looking for while enjoying their favorite TV shows or movies.”

Due to the flexibility of ClipSync’s Social TV platform, it seamlessly delivers the same breadth of interactive features whether one person is watching, or thousands. The intimate setting that consumers experience when watching a TV show or movie with a few friends online, is easily replicated to create a stadium-type experience for large-scale events, such as the Super Bowl or a Madonna concert. This flexibility gives Boxee partners the ability to easily integrate social features into their content regardless of viewership scale.

“Social TV is a great way for people to re-connect and interact with others while watching TV and movies in an era where time-shifting, the Internet, busy schedules and geographical separation led to solo TV viewing,” said Itzik Cohen, CEO and Cofounder, ClipSync. “Our technology embedded in Boxee responds to our innate desire for social interaction, and will further drive interest and engagement in the TV shows and movies partners are providing.”

ABOUT CLIPSYNC
ClipSync is leading the re-emergence of TV as a social and shared activity, making TV and video viewing more fun. ClipSync delivers the first true Social TV platform that makes TV viewing highly interactive, whether watching alone or with others. Through ClipSync’s white-labeled, Social TV platform, media companies can drive viewership with integrated social media tools, and offer interactive, creative ad formats customized to best suit their content. ClipSync’s solution is unique in that the level of engagement and interactivity is all delivered within a single screen experience on the PC, and takes place while media content is displayed, making it the only truly Social TV solution on the market today. ClipSync was founded in 2007 and is based in San Francisco, CA.

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A strong step ahead in mainstreaming Social TV. This partnership combines quality content with quality context, which combined creates a powerful and attractive new experience, and in this case a new attractive TV experience.
I do expect alot from this deal in terms of impact and diffusion, what are your thoughts?