Orange has launched TVcheck, a social networking iPhone app for TV fans. The app, which is currently only available in France, automatically recognises TV programmes the user is watching, and provides multi-screen options for discussing the shows with social networking contacts.
The app, which is available on the iPhone platform, can recognise what the user is watching if the user points their device at the TV. It works with 19 French DDTV(Direct Digital TV) channels. Users can check-in with what theyre watching, send status updates and comments on programmes, and recommend programmes to their contacts.
“We are all looking for shared digital experiences to stay connected with others,” says Patrice Slupowski, VP digital innovation and communities at Orange. “With TVcheck, theres no need to wait until the next day to talk about a good show seen the evening before. One can immediately do it when sitting in front of the TV in the living room.”
The company says the app will be available for mobile operating systems other than iOS soon. 
Jayashree Rajagopal, ICT research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, believes the Orange app has enough to distinguish itself from similar offerings. She says: “In recent years watching programs on TV has been converted from a passive experience to a more active one, with the prevalence of social networks. This interaction of social networks and TV viewing has been seen as a great opportunity and given rise to a number of TV check-in applications. Platforms like GetGlue, Philo and Miso have already re-invented watching TV by allowing viewers to share the program that they are watching and encourage them to interact by offering points and badges as a credit to their viewer-ship.
“The TVcheck application… offers a new communication and gaming experience based on TV content. Social features such as status updates, comments and program recommendations are intact with the application. This enables users with similar television interest to interact, share thoughts and add friends to their networks.
“Orange TVcheck has come at a time when many broadcasters are planning to leverage the second-screen interactivity to improve the viewership of their programs. By partnering with broadcasters applications such as TVcheck, this can be done efficiently and effectively. For a telecom operator like Orange the new application brings some revenue generating opportunities such as check-in advertising that can be explored.”
