Shazam CPO Daniel Danker said second-screen viewing is not going to catch—at least not in terms of engaging with a mobile device throughout the viewing experience.
Speaking Monday at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco, Danker said “in most cases people are quite passive” and that behavior relies on a more “lightweight” experience to engage them while watching television.
Shazam put that kind of lightweight application to the test during last week’s Country Music Awards and ended up recording 500,000 Shazams during the televised event. Danker said the interactions—based on Shazam’s platform—opens up more targeted content.
Despite the shape second-screen viewing takes, advertisers will still be clamoring to reach the smaller screens that are either a direct or in-direct part of TV viewing. Nielsen estimates that 80 percent of TV watchers use smartphones or tablets while viewing.
A music-related TV event is a logical fit for Shazam. The app identifies music and then directs users to purchase points for the music in question. Shazam says that it now accounts for 7 percent of all the world’s music sales.
But Shazam is expanding past music.
Shazam’s InCinema launched in the last few days and allows users to interact with content on screen before movie screens.
And the company is beginning to move into retail. Office Depot is now Shazamable for the purpose of engaging with customers. Old-fashioned signage prompts users to fire up the app and watermarks play over the speakers that allow the app to recognize the location.
The expansion is showing up in growth numbers for the company. Shazam is now up to 106 million monthly active users.
