Liz Gannes

Recent Posts by Liz Gannes

Yahoo Helps Score New Acquisition IntoNow a “Project Runway” Deal

The TV check-in service IntoNow was just getting started when it was acquired by Yahoo in April, three months after launch.

Now the much-loved reality show “Project Runway,” as part of a larger promotional package with Yahoo, will integrate with IntoNow and possibly promote it on air. (The ninth season of the fashion design competition premieres on Lifetime at 9 p.m. ET/PT tonight.)

Prior to being acquired by Yahoo, “We had no go-to-market,” said Adam Cahan, VP of Yahoo Media Products and the former CEO of IntoNow. What Cahan means is, he was relying on users to find and promote the IntoNow app themselves. So far IntoNow, which has been iOS only, has been downloaded one million times.

Now, “Project Runway” watchers will be encouraged to pull out IntoNow when they are watching the show, so it can verify that’s the case through audio fingerprinting and then unlock bonus content, polls and chat.

Plus, IntoNow is also rolling out an Android app, as well as a new feature that takes users’ viewing history and creates a personalized hour-by-hour calendar of recommended shows.

Meanwhile, Shazam, which makes the enormously popular music identification apps, has said its next frontier is turning television interactive, and has already scored deals to link up bonus content for networks like MTV and Syfy and advertisers like Old Navy.

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