14 DAY TRIAL // An updated version of the Beamly app (formerly known as zeebox) is rolling out today on iPhone and iPad to represent “the state of the art of social television,” according to its creators.
Ernesto Schmitt, CEO and co-founder, today said, “The rebrand to Beamly is a celebration of the huge development our app has been through since launching two years ago, originally as a simple program guide and synch experience.”
With the Beamly app, you can get personalized news and social feeds to follow the shows and stars you love, find and follow other fans with tastes similar to yours, chat and share in TV Rooms, open the Beamly smart guide to discover what to watch, and interact live with shows via playalong games, contextual votes, and more.
Ernesto Schmitt says that “The initial phase of social television and 2nd screen was limited to apps providing a companion experience for audiences while watching TV.”
“However, people's emotional engagement with TV spans the whole day: they want to read up on stories about the shows and stars they love in the morning, discuss plotlines over the watercooler in the afternoon, and carefully plan what to watch in the evening – long before ever switching on the TV itself. While they watch, they want a great interactive experience that synchs with what's on screen. And after the show is over, they want to chat and share socially with other fans,” Schmitt explains.
Anthony Rose, CTO and co-founder of Beamly, says that the addition of social features has created a visible progression in user behavior in recent months, prompting the company to consider capitalizing on this social effect.
“The social effect of users following other users, for instance, lifts frequency by 9x to over 21 visits per user per week, and usage to over 500 minutes per user per week – so we're pretty excited,” says Rose.
He also notes that, audience-wise, they couldn’t be luckier, because most of the user base is made up from young females, who are the main driver behind these social interactions.
Beamly is marking the launch of its updated app with 100 TV and pop culture influencers set to host their own live TV Rooms and profiles, including Grammy Award Winning Songwriter/Singer and reality star Kandi Burruss, YouTube buffs like Tyler Oakley, Sawyer Hartman, and Kalel Cullen, and more.
Users can download Beamly TV for free on any iDevice. Supported languages include English and Spanish.