AR TV app launching in France and US
October 5, 2017
From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris
On October 6th, New-York based start-up We Are TV will launch an augmented reality app that allows TV viewers to interact with live, replay or VoD programming, and enhance their experience either by playing games or by posting views and comments.
Touted as the “Pokémon Go of TV”, the app allows virtual 3D elements to spread into the real world. Users can, for instance launch tomatoes at the characters on the TV screen and share reactions with their Facebook friends.
The We Are TV app is available to iOS and Android smartphones owners and can be downloaded free of charge from the AppStore and Google Play.
The venture is piloted by TV producer and TF1 animator Jacques Essebag, who partners with three former Dailymotion executives, including founder Martin Rogard and Amandine Durr, formerly in charge of product development.
“We Are TV offers a new TV experience and targets users who like to interact with content and are accustomed to using their smartphone while watching TV. It allows making people loyal to a show and more involved in it. Our innovation comes from augmented reality that makes users believe they can play directly with what is going on on screen, and can be applied to any programmes,” said the creators, who forecast reaching one million users within one year.
Their business model is based on in-app purchases like most mobile games, but other sources of revenues are also anticipated. The start-up is negotiating with broadcasters in France and the international market to develop tailored games and new options. It will also launch a show entitled We Are TV to promote the app at MIPCOM.