NineMSN "Jump-in" to social TV

The convergence of television and social media is accelerating at an ever increasing rate, the latest evidence being the launch of ninemsn’s new app Jump-in.


The app, which is now free on the App Store for the iPad, turns TV viewers into active participants while shows are on air. 

Jump-in’s debut coincides with the London 2012 Olympics and features a range of interactive content to keep users up to date with the Games.

Users of Jump-in can see the Nine Network’s full Olympics schedule, set reminders, comment on events, check-in to shows, follow Olympic hashtags on Twitter, check the medal tally and watch video highlights.

See below for screenshots of the app in action.


My Verdict

The first thing to strike me is that ninemsn have gone down the same route as Yahoo!7 in creating an entirely new brand under which to house their app. Yahoo!7 used Fango, ninemsn have created Jump-in. I wonder if this shows a slight lack of confidence in the consumer perception of their masterbrands. Creating new platform specific brands serves to distance the second screen experience from the masterbrands (Yahoo!7 and ninemsn), something that could damage those brands in the long term if the consumer doesn't connect the two in their minds.

I haven't yet a chance to play around with the app itself, but from the screenshots it would appear that the navigation relies on an EPG format. The decision to make the architecture consistent with the way that a viewer would navigate through their TV listings is a clever one. Firstly, it ensures that it is intuitive to the target audience, television viewers. Secondly, it strengthens the bond in the viewer's mind between the app and the television screen, partially offsetting the distancing I talked about in the last paragraph. Creating an integrated and consistent experience across the different screens is vital for a second screen application to work.

In terms of the actual offering, there doesn't appear to be anything radically new here. There is no evidence of any audio-recognition or automatic synchronisation of content with the first (television) screen, so it is left entirely to the user to create their own journey. The integration of Facebook and Twitter in the application allows the viewer to share their opinion, but there's no aggregation of ongoing conversation as far as I can tell so this doesn't really create a dialogue, rather a one-way correspondence. I can't see what value this offers the viewer over and above simply using Facebook or Twitter.

While there is the ability for msnnine to publish extra background content, there doesn't at this stage appear to be anything truly interactive like polling, voting, games etc. It all feels a little bit "broadcast" rather than personalised and tailored to the specific screen. This may just be the case at launch though and I'm sure there will be scope to provide a more interactive experience in future iterations.

In summary, the app looks thoughtfully branded and well designed. The question will be whether they can truly tap into the personalisation, conversation and gamification consumer needs by designing captivating experiences for the platform. Time will tell.

 You can check the TV schedule across different broadcasters and set reminders...

Check in, find out more and add programmes to your favourites...

Tweet or post to Facebook about the show you're watching...

The app will include interactive content around key news events...