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FEATURE


PLAYING BY NEW RULES W


ith an increasing number of channels and the growing use of mobile devices


and tablets, production companies and broadcasters must fight harder than ever to grab and hold the viewers’ attention. Second screens could be seen as a threat


by broadcasters, but many are using them to drive viewer engagement. Audio water- marking is one of the underlying tech- nologies that helps to tie apps to a pro- gramme, syncing a playalong game on a mobile device with the on-screen action, for example. Civolution is one of the companies that has supplied audio watermarking technology for UK programme-makers. Jean-Michel Masson, its senior vice-president of watermarking solutions, says 75-80% of iPad owners use them at the same time as watching TV, which is driving the industry’s use of audio water- marking technology. “When we talk to those involved in innova- tion or marketing at channels and production companies, they have plenty of ideas about how to use the technology,” Masson says. “There is a lot of traction but, even so, we are still at the early stages.” Increasing viewer engagement was the


motivation for FX UK’s The Walking Dead app. The app, developed by Red Bee Media with Civolution, asks viewers to predict the number of zombies that will be killed in each episode. The watermarking technology –


which works live or on demand – synchro- nises with the show so the app can count the number of kills. “We specialise in content identification


technology that helps the industry to manage video and audio content,” says Masson. “Our expertise lies in digital signal processing techniques to allow customers to identify video or audio content.”


Bonus content Cambridge-based Intrasonics provided the underlying technology for Channel 4’s Facejacker app, the broad- caster’s first to make use of audio watermarking. It leads viewers to bonus content such as behind-the-scenes footage and soundboards. For gameshows, however, there needs


Gameshows now need an extra edge to retain audiences, whether that means apps that allow viewers to play along or Matrix-style technology that supplies an all-round view of the action. George Bevir reports


Proportion of iPad owners who use them at the same time as watching TV


75%


to be a greater level of interaction. “Asking people questions and increasing the level of participation will be appealing, but I think it will be a long time before we see playalong apps where people at home win rewards,” says Intrasonics consultant Michael Woodley. “If money is involved, the tech has to be absolutely rock solid.” Intrasonics trialled the technology with the BBC, which led to further tests with the broadcaster for its The National Lottery: Secret Fortune show in September last year.


The BBC released an app for Secret Fortune, with 200 users taking part in a closed series of tests to establish the best way to synchro- nise the app with the show. The technology allowed viewers to launch a mobile or tablet app that used the device’s speaker to recog- nise an audio file embedded in the TV broad- cast, with the file syncing the playalong game to the TV show so viewers at home were able to answer the same multiple-choice questions as the contestants. “It was an interesting format that was ripe for a playalong aspect,” says Woodley. “I’m not sure what the next step is, but we’re expecting the BBC


to explore all possible suppli- ers and avenues.” He describes audio water-


marking as “like asking a GPS box


for your co-ordinates”. Once the app has been downloaded to a smartphone or tablet – and assuming the viewer is watching the TV with the sound on – the app-enabled device picks up the embedded audio code, which is inaudible to humans, but not to a smart- phone or tablet’s microphone. Once the content has been identified, the second part of the payload is the timecode, which enables the app to accurately sync with content, regardless of how the programme is delivered. For truly immersive content, accu- rate synchronisation is imperative.


16 | Broadcast TECH | May/June 2012


www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils


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