CTC launches channel-wide second screen app

Russian broadcaster CTC Media has launched a dedicated second-screen app that uses audio synchronisation to provide additional services related to broadcast shows on tablets and smartphones.

The company had previously experimented with second-screen technology by launching an app for its Molodezhka TV series in autumn 2014, which was downloaded over one million times in the course of the show’s run.

According to CTC, the series increased its average viewing time among the public from 10 minutes to 30 minutes over the course of the season, and the app content had over 1.5 million shares on social networks. It also helped deliver a 40% lift in mobile views over the course of the season.

CTC will now extend the experiment to cover its entire programme schedule, offering a chat capability to all viewers and the ability for app users to subscribe to schedule notifications.

Viewers can also use the app to build long-term storyline forecasts and test during episodes of shows, as well as receive additional information about upcoming shows.

“The launch of the first Second Screen app for Molodezhka was a success, and the app was very popular among our viewers, making our decision to cover the whole programming schedule of CTC Channel with Second Screen features a no-brainer. Second Screen offers an opportunity to create alternative storylines, shows what happens to the characters beyond the scenes, and does much more. We are expanding the television dimension over all app user,” said Alexey Pivovarov, director of CTC’s transmedia projects department.

“We stay put on our strategy to transform CTC Media from a traditional broadcaster into a content holding distributing all our products across all media and platforms where we have our viewers. As a part of this process, we launched Russia’s first mobile satellite app to support the whole programming schedule of our flagship channel in the upcoming season. This launch was the final step to establish CTC Media as a clear technology leader of the market. I am confident that in 2015-2016, our channel-wide second screen will build on success of our pilot app launched last year and exceed its viewership and business achievements,” said Yuliana Slashcheva, CEO of CTC Media.