Television shows dominate most of our conversations. Delhi-based Rabi Gupta of iDubba (Noida-based online TV guide and social and community platform) used this fact to create an app called iCouch, through which viewers can chat even while the programme is running.
“Such options are available only in social networks, chatting apps or TV channel apps. However, there is no connect among viewers of similar taste and no ‘real’ connect with TV channels as well,” Gupta explains, adding that the idea is to “make one engaging platform, which brings all fans and viewers of the show as well as TV channels to the same place.” Launched in May during the premiere of Grey’s Anatomy on Zee Cafe (with whom they had partnered), the app has already earned 18,000 registered users.
When not chatting
Download, register and follow your show. Once it goes on-air, you will get a notification about the chat room and you start interacting with fans who are talking about the show.
“Users can have polls or a live quiz, like we are doing for KBC. There can be a leader board to show top users or vote for favourite contestants during reality shows like Bigg Boss,” offers Gupta, adding that TV channels can moderate chats which can be fed live to TV screens.
What works?
Gupta, who launched online TV guide iDubba with his friend Ashish Kumar last April, feels the conversations are community driven and can be around anything, including Salman’s shirts on Bigg Boss!
Details: play.google.com