Two screeners are folks who watch a television screen and a computer screen at the same time. Typically a sports fan activity – watching the game and following up with stats on players for instance – this can also apply to other audience segments. While watching movies, I will often go to the Internet Movie Database site to get some background info and trivia information. The same goes for BNN – the Business News Network. Something gets mentioned and I’ll Google it to find out more. This happens most mornings while I have coffee and check out emails. Today I woke up to the Microsoft – Yahoo deal. Found out lots of detailed and juicy information that wasn’t mentioned on the TV spot. While not a totally new activity – it is reaching into the social networking realm.

This morning I heard about LiveHive Systems and nano-gaming on BNN. LiveHive has developed an online interactive TV system that goes beyond providing stats. You can build up a community (friends, other fans) and actually earn points by making the right decision about the next play in the game. With the growth in mobile computing devices – low-priced wireless notebook PCs, smart phones, blackberrys, iPhones etc. the audience gets bigger. Why be a Monday morning quarterback when you can do it real-time? A game inside a game. They are very excited about the upcoming SuperBowl game. The excitement comes from the number of eyes taking part in their nano-gaming communities – and eyes translate into advertising opportunities. LiveHive knows where the money is – selling focused advertising which reaches out to a distinct and clearly defined target market. They have the numbers to back them up as well.

It looks like LiveHive understands the true value of social networking. As an alternative to sending out a message to millions of people who may or may not be interested in what you have to say (traditional broadcast advertising) you can now place a focused message to a smaller group who are interested in what you are selling. 

Another example of the LongTail in action!

Dean Owen