CBC is thinking outside of the box – literally – in its efforts to get audiences interacting on a regular basis with some of its 2013 programing.
In conjunction with the premieres of its primetime comedies and dramas last week, the public broadcaster is rolling out several interactive apps and games to get audiences engaged with its programs both during and between broadcasts.
A second-screen app called “Ride Along” lets fans of the show Republic of Doyle access polls, behind-the-scenes videos and additional scenes as they watch the TV broadcast. Available in Apple’s App Store and also as a web app, it will use Twitter and Facebook to create a curated social experience.
Fans of Murdoch Mysteries will be able to take part in a six-week crime game that will involve helping Murdoch as a “consultant” in a race to save his own life. “Nightmare on Queen Street” launches Jan. 31 and will feature video, photos, audio and other assorted pieces of evidence that users gather to pinpoint the prime suspect.
There is also an interactive comedy adventure game that lets viewers help goofy teacher Mr. D of the show that bears his name get away from his superiors after he fakes sick from work to golf, but needs to sneak back into the school to retrieve his forgotten wallet. “Mr. D: Sick Day” offers hundreds of possible combinations of moves for players.
There are also transmedia experiences on the way for CBC series Arctic Air, Cracked, Heartland and Hockey Night In Canada.
Last year CBC began offering audiences supplementary online content for Over the Rainbow , its reality competition show to find a star for the Toronto stage production of The Wizard of Oz.
Tessa Sproule, CBC’s director of interactive content, said that by providing material for those co-viewing the show with a mobile device in-hand, fans became part of the overall experience, and were given the incentive to participate in the show between broadcasts.
During the airing of each Rainbow episode, a “few thousand” people would use their device to play along in real time.
While the general viewing trend over the past 18 months or so has been for audiences to sit with their devices as they watch TV, Sproule said they’ve been distracted from what’s on the TV screen since they’re often checking emails or paying bills. “So now we’re trying to create opportunities where they’re engaged with the TV show, but it’s kind of a new thing for audiences so we have to ‘train’ the audience,” she said.
Sproule said that there are opportunities for advertisers to take part in these new initiatives, but it’s still quite early days as CBC is in “proof of concept mode” right now. “We are open to working with advertisers if someone wants to find a way to engage with [those audiences],” said Sproule.
