Most attendees at the MIPCOM Conference held this fall in Cannes probably didn’t notice the small off-MIPCOM exhibition organized by a handful of second screen technology vendors outside of the Palais des Festivals. True, some of MIPCOM attendees may have walked through the door of the Esterel conference room during one of the rare panels devoted to second screen, but it’s probably fair to say that second screen remains an enigma for the multi-billion dollar a year TV content industry represented by the busy executives bustling around the market hallways.
And yet, compared to the MIPCOM Conference held last year, a time still considered the pre-historical era for second screens, second screens have undoubtedly risen above the industry radar. With tablet sales exploding in most Western markets, and TV viewing patterns becoming increasingly multiscreen, no player in the TV value chain can afford to remain indifferent to the companion app opportunity. While it may still be too early to say which of the studios, channels, operators and myriad of new entrants, like Zeebox, Viggle, Getglue and others, will emerge as the main beneficiaries in an industry expected to generate close to $6 billion in 2017, one thing is certain: we are witnessing the advent of an historical era for second screens.
Judging from my conversations at MIPCOM, the design of most current companion apps follow what I would describe as The Paradigm of Year One:
No doubt there is still a long way to go before second screen technologies and usage reach full maturity; but we can already venture a few conjectures regarding the keys for progress:
Our DEEP platform for second screen interactions already utilizes a number of these key techniques. The wheel of progress is on the move! No doubt the coming year leading up to MIPCOM 2014 will be a busy one. Stay tuned!
Click here to download our latest white paper on content discovery and here to watch a demo of DEEP.
Alain (center) demonstrating DEEP at MIP
Our workshop on content engagement and second screen at MIP