USA to Let Fans Yap It Up on New App

Teams with startup Yap.TV to develop companion tablet, smartphone app

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/17/2011 11:36:10 AM

NBCUniversal's USA Network wants to gin up more social chatter about its original programming, teaming with startup Yap.TV to create an app for smartphones and tablets to let viewers follow real-time comments and serve up additional content.

The free app, available initially only for Apple's iPad and iPhone devices, will soft-launch in early November with a more concerted launch planned for the first quarter of 2012, USA vice president of digital Jesse Redniss said.

he new USA app will leverage its Character Chatter website, which aggregates comments from Twitter and Facebook about the network's shows. Users also will be able to access a dynamic programming guide, which syncs up with what's on USA at the time, as well as view exclusive content, invite friends to download the app and chat with other Yap.TV users.

"Over the course of a year or so, we've been really focusing in on the social television space, looking to really activate our existing fan base to bring them into a community viewing environment," Redniss said.

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