BBC to launch TV companion apps, starting with the Antiques Roadshow

The BBC have announced they are going to launch a companion app for the BBC One show Antiques Roadshow, with the app you can play guess the value while watching the show and then see how you scored and you can also get information about the antiques featured in the programme.

There is a huge potential for companion apps with many people having a iPad or laptop with them on the sofa. I have been using the F1 timing apps on an iPad or my laptop for while and having a 2nd screen adds a lot to live viewing.

Details from the BBC:

In September, we’ll be launching a companion experience for Antiques Roadshow on BBC One.

Antiques Roadshow has established a special place in living rooms across the country over the 35 years it’s been on our screens, with audiences shouting at their TVs, guessing the value of the antique items brought in by members of the public for valuation, and delighting in their extraordinariness and the stories that lie behind them.

This year, we’re going to tap into that audience behaviour by offering a companion experience that combines: guess the value play along (and compare your score), with the ability to go beyond broadcast to find out more about the antiques featured in the programme, with exclusive content and information drawn from across BBC Online and trusted sources from the wider web.

The project combines fun with learning and performs an important media literacy role in showcasing to mainstream TV audiences the potential for companion experiences to increase their enjoyment of a much-loved BBC programme.

We’re going to use familiar language and our trusted on-screen talent to welcome audiences into the experience. Playing alongside the live broadcast or on-demand, and at expert or amateur level, audiences choose from four value ranges for each antique item featured on the show. They make their valuation against the clock, before the answer is revealed on the TV. If viewers need help in their valuation, they can see what others playing along are estimating using the ‘Ask the Nation’ function. At the end of each episode, audiences receive their final score, and find out how they ranked compared to the nation.

The companion experience also invites audiences to explore featured antiques in the programme and the historical stories that lie behind them, with content and onward journeys crafted by Roadshow experts and the BBC production team. Audiences can enjoy this content while they watch, or ‘Favourite’ it for exploring later.

The experience will be available across smart phones, PC, and tablet devices. A version of the play along will also be available on broadcast BBC Red Button.