The Viggle App
Want to earn stuff by watching TV? Well, now you can with the Viggle app that debuted on Wednesday.
When you tap the screen, Viggle’s software for iPhones and iPads listens to what’s on (TV), recognizes what you’re watching and gives you credit at roughly two points per minute. It even works for shows you’ve saved on a digital video recorder.
Once you have 7,500 points, you’ll be rewarded with a $5 gift card from retailers such as Burger King, Starbucks, Apple’s iTunes, Best Buy and CVS, which you can redeem directly from your device.
Viggle plans to offer bonus points for checking into certain shows such as “American Idol” and for watching ads on your mobile device. “Viggle is the first loyalty program for TV,” said Chris Stephenson, president of the company behind Viggle, Function (X) Inc. “We’re basically allowing people to get rewards for doing something they’re doing already and that they love to do.”
The idea behind Viggle is that if people have an added reason to watch TV, the size of the audience will increase, allowing makers of shows to earn more money from advertisers. Advertisers such as Burger King, Pepsi and Gatorade have also agreed to pay to have point-hungry users watch their ads on a mobile device.
In exchange, users earn points, which Viggle converts into real value by buying gift cards at a slight discount from retailers.
The company has put in some safeguards. You must watch a show at least 10 minutes to earn bonus points. And you can’t watch the same ad over and over again to earn more points; there’s a one-ad-view-per-person rule.
The app made its debut in Apple Inc.’s app store on Wednesday. Versions for Android devices and computers are in the works.
