Viggle buys social TV leader GetGlue

TV loyalty service Viggle has agreed to acquire social TV app provider GetGlue for US$25 million (€20 million) and 48.3 million shares, potentially creating a combined entity a total of about 4.5 million registered users.

GetGlue founder and CEO Alex Iskold will join Viggle in a senior executive position and Viggle will take GetGlue’s 34 employees.

“With this deal, we are combining very experienced and creative product, engineering and management teams that will continue to build great user experiences and provide industry leading platforms for consumers, networks and advertisers,” said Viggle executive chairman and CEO Robert Sillerman. “We will also be vastly increasing the Viggle user base and quadrupling our network partnerships. Viggle and GetGlue users can look forward to using the apps they have come to love as we add new and appealing features made possible by the combined resources of this clear industry leader.”

New York City-based GetGlue provides software that allows users to check-in and socialise while watching TV, discover what to watch via a personalised guide, and find videos, images, and links from shows. It has about 3.2 million registered users and a database with over 500 million entertainment ratings and check-ins. GetGlueHD provides customers with a mobile-friendly TV guide, listing both TV and online content in calendar form. Viggle, which launched this year, provides loyalty points to its 1.2 million registered users that can be redeemed for rewards from a range of retailers.