Fanatix: New Fan Discovery And Group Messaging Platform For Second Screen

Posted by Richard Kastelein in Breaking News on October 27, 2011  |  3 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Sports and music fans will, for the first time, be able to create private messaging networks around live events following the launch of the new fan discovery and group messaging platform from Fanatix. Available as a free iPhone App, Fanatix automatically connects friends around live entertainment, and enables group chat via iMessage, iPhone's new messaging service.

Fanatix seamlessly matches a user’s Facebook friends and their activities with a database of over 200,000 sports events and concerts at more than 16,000 venues in 186 countries, before connecting them via iMessage. The platform makes it easy to discover which friends are watching the same game, or going to the same concert, and start a private group chat with them from anywhere in the world, for free.

Founder and CEO of Fanatix, Will Muirhead said:

"Every football match watched on television results in a flurry of phone calls and text messages sent from friends and family. It’s a hopelessly inefficient way to share the experience. Fanatix is looking to change that and make identifying relevant friends and sharing a conversation with the group as easy as possible."

"72% of the UEFA Champions League television audience watch alone and, although some of the biggest spikes in Twitter activity occur around live sport, most fans are reluctant to share their opinion on public forums, preferring instead to revert to older technologies like SMS and even placing a voice call. By providing an automatic way to connect relevant groups of friends, fans can now easily share in groups without sharing with the rest of the world."

— Fanatix enhances the way friends interact around live sport and music

— Creates real-time private messaging networks for fans to exchange opinion, photos and video securely

— Free SDK available for event owners to integrate fan discovery and messaging platform into existing mobile apps

— Free API available for event owners to add fanatix platform to league and club Facebook Pages

For live sports fans, Fanatix will find out which friends are at the game or who is watching on TV, and allow users to initiate private group chats; share opinion, photos and video; and send taunts to rival fans. For fans going to a concert, Fanatix will find friends going to the same gig, and enable them to open a group message to arrange tickets, travel and general shenanigans.