(pic from designbymotion.com)

Watching TV is an experience that's better shared and obviously the social nature of viewing has generally been through talking to, laughing with and occasionally jumping up and down with people who are physically in the same location as you.  This shared experience is a strong reminder to us that we are social beings. When we laugh, cry and interact with a show, it's the sensibility of the audience that gives the experience meaning rather than simply the TV show itself. But other types of social engagements are now evolving around TV. Now when we watch a show we have our laptop or iPad in front of us where we are talking to friends over Facebook, using hashtags on Twitter or googling an actor. There is an emmerging opportunity to expand this social interaction, to create digital experiences that unify people watching the same show in the interest of making the show actually better.

What is the experience of watching TV in your living room? 1. Core Experience: the traditional TV viewing 2. Connectivity: to bring in content from more sources 3. Personalisation: of the content.

What is the initial excitement and drive of social TV and co-viewing? Crowd Excitement in your Living Room! Quest for more choice - Personalise the whole world!

What are the current opportunities? 1. Social TV- widgets and screen based applications 2. Event-Based Applications 1. Around general questions ie What are you watching? 2. Around particular tv-shows and live events 3. Presenting More Information & Conversations - which are in turn based around events Examples: Fanvibe, Tunerfish, Chatterbox, Hot Potato, TV Chatter, Miso, MTV Beavis & Butthead etc

Future Questions/Challenges: 1. What do people want to do on the 2nd Screen? What captures people's attention? Quiz, chat, awards...? 2. How much does the tv show shape the content on the 2nd Screen? Does it depend on Genre, ie sports vs drama? 3. What are the viewer's expectations of interactions? Deeper experiences - delivering value back to the user for watching the tv show? A sense of discovery, a serendipity relationship? Here's an interview with Miso founder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZUeWl67opQ& 4. What type of push and pull relationship will there be? Search for advertising or advertising pushed on user? 5. Building a real and relevant audience around tv shows - intelligent systems that filter and order content and streams? http://agoramedia.co.uk/blog/social-media/dynamics-of-interaction-and-social-tv-experience-architecture/ 6. Social TV vs 2nd Screen - whats adds and what takes away from an experience? Could some content show up the tv screen which is directly relevant and other content display on second screen?

Other Interesting Links: 1. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/riseoftheevent-basedsocial_networks.php/ 2. http://www.appmarket.tv/opinion/34-writers/469--can-event-based-social-networks-further-diffuse-social-tv.html 3. http://www.designbynotion.com/metamirror-next-generation-tv/

My Bookmarks on the subject: http://www.delicious.com/georgiepb/Co-Channelling