Mobile game developer turns watching TV into an active experience

By Giselle Abramovich

January 28, 2008

AirPlay has developed more than 100 games that work in conjunction with television shows

Ever wish you can play along with television game shows or even live sports events? Seek AirPlay.

Mobile game developer AirPlay introduced NBA Realtime Fantasy, a game available during this year’s NBA season. The game works in conjunction with televised NBA games and allows viewers to set up private groups, join team fan communities, communicate during the game, choose teams, substitute players and track results.

“We are in the business of letting viewers engage with the television programs they watch,” said Morgan Guenther, chairman/CEO of AirPlay, San Francisco.  “We partner with major carriers like Verizon Wireless, Sprint and AT&T and content owners like NBA and NFL and deliver an experience on wireless and Web simultaneously.”

AirPlay has developed more than 100 games that work in conjunction with television shows, turning the viewing experience from passive to active.

The TV business is a multi-billion dollar industry and everyone in the value chain – carriers, content provider sand AirPlay – benefits from deeper viewer involvement.

Additionally, the games serve as an advertising opportunity, with mobile ads synchronized with those on TV.

“We are leveraging on behavior that is already happening,” Mr. Guenther said. “This is an example of the convergence of wireless and TV.”

Other AirPlay TV games include "Deal or No Deal: Live TV Challenge" and "NFL Call the Play."

“We connect a community of people all watching the same TV show in real-time,” Mr. Guenther said. "Ads on the handset may run on leaderboards, for example.

“We use an audience that is already aggregated around TV as opposed to traditional mobile marketing. We are aiming at giving viewers an entire programming schedule on their phone,” he said.