Disney/ABC Television Group, Nielsen team to create iPad application

Released one week in advance of the 23 September premiere of the new ABC primetime drama My Generation, the app is built on Nielsen's Media-Sync Platform which allows mobile apps to automatically detect and synchronise with TV programming using audio watermarks. ABC's Sync app for iPad allows fans of the new ABC series to unlock synchronised content and features, as well as connect in real-time with other viewers of the program through their social networks.

"In the ever-evolving television landscape, we are constantly looking to create immersive viewing experiences around our shows," says Albert Cheng, executive vice president, digital media, Disney/ABC Television Group. "Together with Nielsen, we've created a sync-to-broadcast app that appeals to both fans and advertisers, and holds an array of possibilities for deeper engagement with our content and our advertisers' brands."

Synchronise with any episode

iPad users who download the My Generation Sync App will be able to automatically synchronise to any episode (live or time-shifted) of the series and access exclusive interactive content produced by ABC as a companion to that specific point in the episode. Companion content will include polls, trivia, behind-the-scenes insights, production details and social networking features. The application will also allow consumers to interact with companion promotions from sponsors of the show.

Nielsen's Media-Sync Platform is designed to be a complete application development and operations environment that allows TV content producers and broadcasters to deploy sync-to-broadcast mobile apps in a rapid and scalable manner. Media-Sync relies on audio watermarks that are inserted into nearly every TV program in the US to support Nielsen's industry standard TV audience ratings service. While still inaudible to the human ear, the latest generation of watermarks can be detected and decoded through the microphone of mobile devices in a normal living room setting. The Media-Sync Platform is a product of Nielsen's joint venture with Digimarc Corporation, a leading provider of media identification solutions.

Paving the way for new methods of interaction

"The Media-Sync Platform was born out of Nielsen's continuous investment in leading-edge audience measurement technologies and we believe it paves the way to fundamentally change the way consumers interact with TV programs and TV advertisements," says Sid Gorham, Nielsen's EVP, Strategy and Business Development. "We are thrilled to collaborate with the innovative team at Disney/ABC to develop the first Media-Sync app and look forward to a broader industry wide launch in early 2011."

ABC's new scripted drama, My Generation premiered last Thursday - 23 September, and follows the personal stories of nine friends. The promises they thought their futures held, as well as how far they've come and just how they got here are all told through the camera of a documentary film crew. The series stars Michael Stahl David as Steven, Jaime King as Jacqueline, Kelli Garner as Dawn, Keir O'Donnell as Kenneth, Mehcad Brooks as Rolly, Julian Morris as Anders, Daniella Alonso as Brenda, Anne Son as Caroline, Sebastian Sozzi as Falcon and Elizabeth Keener as the filmmaker. Based on a Swedish format entitled On God's Highway, My Generation was created and written by Noah Hawley (The Unusuals, Bones), who is also an executive producer along with Warren Littlefield, Henrik Bastin, Peter Magnusson and Martin Persson. Craig Gillespie directed the pilot. The project is from ABC Studios.

ABC's new My Generation Sync App is the latest example of innovation from the Disney/ABC Television Group (DATG), and follows the recently released ABC Family Chatterbox app and The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens enhanced eBook. DATG was the first to bring full episode video to the iTunes store and just this past April, DATG delivered ad-supported video to iPad via the acclaimed ABC Player App.

The Sync App is available from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. For a video demo go to abc.go.com/shows/my-generation/ipad.