First there were game shows. Now there are shows with games built in, and unique marketing opportunities are part of the plot. New interactive CHUM and Global audience engagement initiatives mean new ad opps are coming soon to TV-related property near you.
CHUM has added live, SMS text-to-screen gaming to select programs airing on youth-channel Razer. RazerTXT allows viewers to watch shows while playing games, which appear as graphic overlays onscreen. Titles such as a love advice game called ‘Perfect Match,’ ‘RazerChat’ which features real-time, onscreen text dialogues and ‘Splitzville,’ a type of on-screen Eight Ball that predicts the death of a relationship, were created specifically for the Razer audience. Plans are in place to add games entitled ‘CruiseControl’ (on celeb auto trivia) and ‘Fabloid’ (tabloid-style headlines created by fans) beginning November 1.
‘We just launched this [last week] and the user adoption is high,’ says Maria Hale, VP of content business development at CHUM. Numbers were not divulged.
She explained that CHUM became really interested in viewer interactivity when fans would vote during the MuchMusic Video Awards. ‘This lead to chat availability on Much On Demand and then on Speaker’s Corner. There’s also video play on PunchMuch, which drives channel content. Naturally, game interactivity is the next level.’ CHUM says it receives 50,000 messages per month (this includes voting, polling and chat) based on four hours of weekly interactive programming.
‘We can be more flexible with advertisers,’ continues Hale. ‘It’s an experience and not just a 30-second spot that they can sponsor.’ She explains that RazerTXT is first being introduced to audiences to gauge their reaction. And as it doesn’t yet have a proven track record, it’s wait and see. According to Hale, CHUM’s strategy is to see where live gaming will go over the next couple of months and as soon as the numbers are gathered, they will be shopping the feature to a sponsor.
‘It’s really good for everyone. It’s a way for broadcasters to stay relevant,’ she says.
RazerTXT is powered by Toronto mobile interactive shop MyThum Interactive and The Netherlands-based TV software company Marketgraph. Razer’s content is aimed at youth ages 12-24.
In yet another attempt to extend a show’s brand, Toronto-based game producer Xenophile Media created an extended reality game based on Global’s Monday night Canuck sci-fi series ReGenesis. Gamers are invited to get into the world of the biochemists of fictional Toronto-based NorBAC using various media such as the internet, email, live web cam feeds, and phone messages among others.
In one episode, a scientist warns his staff to look out for renegades who run the Sciencesucks.com site. During the show, viewers search for the site and immediately receive an email giving them the password to gain access to NorBAC’s restricted intranet site. Shortly thereafter, the phone rings, leading the gamer to yet another clue. And further down the rabbit hole they go.
Originally launched last year as a test to tie-in with ReGenesis’ Pay TV airing, the game has attracted fans globally and has won kudos at the FITC Design & Technology Awards and the Canadian New Media Awards. The game’s site — at regenesistv.com — has also been nominated for the 2005 Gemini Awards Most Popular website. To play, viewers register online and can join in at any time.
‘This is a new genre in gaming and it’s not dependent on any gaming platform,’ says Evan Jones, creative director for Xenophile Media. ‘We created the world of the series and made it ‘virtually exist.’ Each episode has clues to the game and players have access to NorBAC’s switchboard number. As part of the game, there are even packages that players need to pick up.’
Patrick Crowe, producer at Xenophile Media, says: ‘We work with the show’s writers so that the game is embedded into an episode.’ At random times, players’ user names are mentioned in the show, blurring the lines between game, TV and reality.
Though how the game is influencing the show’s ratings is still yet to be disclosed (an analysis is slated for mid-December), something seems to be working. The company is producing an extension of the game for ReGenesis’ second season.
The game creators say they are looking at ways to tie the game to sponsor websites. Talks are also underway around a contest where a game participant can win a walk-on role in the series. Episode nine airing on October 24 contains an opportunity for players to influence a plot twist in the program.
