The X Factor 'Tap To Clap' App Passes 100 Million Interactions From Over Half A Million Users In Just Five Weeks

Posted by Richard Kastelein in Breaking News on September 26, 2011  |  1 Comment More from this author  |    |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Live Talkback, the social TV company, today announces that the UK public has clapped and booed more than 100 million times through the Tap to Clap dual screen play-along produced for this year's The X Factor. The Tap to Clap app was commissioned by talkbackTHAMES digital, with ITV and Syco, and developed by Live Talkback following the huge success of the social buzzer they ran during the 2011 series of Britain's Got Talent.

 — Developers Behind The X Factor 'Tap To Clap' Resurrect The 'Clap-O-Meter' Of Previous Talent Shows

Tap to Clap, incorporated into the official The X Factor UK 2011 mobile app for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, the official The X Factor UK website and social media properties, allows the TV audience to express their opinion of each act while the show is broadcast. Latest statistics indicate that the mobile app is enormously popular and highly rated, with more than 581,000 downloads since the show premiered five weeks ago.

Robert Marsh, Head of talkbackTHAMES digital, who are behind the comprehensive interactive proposition for The X Factor, heralded the success of the app:

"This is the first year in which we have commissioned an official The X Factor app and our expectations have been surpassed. People are using the app to play along at home and make sure their voice is heard – whether they agree with the judges or not. Receiving over 100 million claps and boos with Live Talkback is a true milestone."

"The reason Tap to Clap is so compelling lies in its simplicity. When creating new ideas for social TV interaction we never forget that the TV show is the main event with the second screen being enhancing it creating a sense of involvement that viewers want to share," explains Matt Millar, CEO of Live Talkback. "Tap to Clap resurrects the concept of a 'clap-o-meter' but with the real-time reaction of the TV viewing audience aggregated for all to see."

Tom Dolan, Head of Entertainment, ITV Online & On Demand added:

"We've been incredibly impressed with the reaction from audiences to this year's show across all platforms. Fans have a huge appetite to interact with The X Factor experience and Tap to Clap is a fantastically engaging and simple way for them to do so in real time."