Virgin Media gets into the dual screen race...

written by: Paul Johnson

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Published on Friday, 13 August 2010 14:26

Virgin Media, the largest cable TV operator in the UK has entered the dual screen Social TV market, by launching what could be a very interesting viewer experience, in time for the beginning of the Premier League Football season.

How successful this is for Virgin Media remains to be seen, however they are certainly beginning to recognise the importance of creating dual screen experiences, especially off the back of the success from various the apps that were launched for the World Cup 2010 such as ITVLive.

Their first coverage kicks off tomorrow, so we shall review it here next week.

In the meantime, here is the full press release:

Football’s coming home with Virgin Media’s Sofa Stadium

• Exciting, new online football app brings the crowd to the couch with social media, match statistics and fan interaction
• Vote on player performance, refereeing decisions and cheer or jeer with other fans whilst watching a live match on TV

Virgin Media today announced the launch of its new online football app Sofa Stadium; a must-have for every football fan’s laptop incorporating match statistics, social networking and real-time voting, all designed to run alongside live Premier League football matches on TV. Designed from the ground up to provide a fun way to engage with fellow fans, Sofa Stadium ‘clicks off’ from this weekend’s first Premier League game on Saturday 14th August.

Freely available to anyone with an internet connection, Sofa Stadium helps fans enjoy the atmosphere of match day without obstructed views, overpriced car parking, cold weather and dodgy grub. With Sofa Stadium, fans can rant, rave and banter with fellow followers as the game unfolds; vote for the best player, and the worst; be heard at the click of a button by booing, cheering or singing, as if they were on the terraces.

Bringing together the multi-screen experience of Social TV to football, fans will be able to see what people are saying about the game on Twitter through Tweet Watch and have comments posted straight to social networks such as Facebook – all from the comfort of the couch. Channelling their passion, sofa supporters now have a place to vent their spleen in a social space, instead of shouting at the TV screen!

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media said “Sofa Stadium is the perfect place for armchair supporters, commentators and managers alike, to get actively involved in football, and a brilliant way to bring together the multi-screen entertainment experience. A perfect companion for fans looking to get the most of their football experience, Sofa Stadium provides an incredible way to enjoy the beautiful game, especially with Sky Sports now available in HD on Virgin Media.”

• The Sofa Stadium online app can be accessed at http://www.sofastadium.co.uk/ from Saturday 14th August.
  

Paul is a founding Director at Montgomery Aston and has been specialising in making sense and acting upon the convergent areas of Media, Communications and Consumer Experience for the past 15 years. He helps drive innovation across marketing; advertising; digital devices & platforms, user experience, broadcast, on demand, publishing, social media and mobile. Hook up with him at Linkedin and @mediadventurer