At IBC2012 Chyron announced the integration of its ENGAGE second screen and social TV platform with the zeebox companion app and website that makes watching TV better. With seamless access to zeebox from within their existing Chyron graphics systems, broadcasters can cost-effectively leverage the leading second screen app to complement their live programming.

“The second screen applications running on tablets and other devices serve as an exciting new platform for publishing synchronized content that enhances the viewer’s experience,” said Jim Martinolich, vice president of integration technology at Chyron. “zeebox is the leading second screen app and its integration with our ENGAGE platform aids broadcasters in creating and managing second screen content without introducing significant new production costs. We are very excited to be adding zeebox to our list of ENGAGE charter partners.”

“Broadcasters are clamoring to embrace social TV and second-screen engagement, but the combination of fragmented market, myriad of consumer apps, and lack of integration with their existing workflow has — until now — made this a complex and expensive process,” said Anthony Rose, CTO and co-founder of zeebox. “By giving broadcasters the ability to publish directly into the zeebox platform using their existing tools and production workflow, we’re making it as easy for a broadcaster to create a play-along, social TV or interactive experience delivered within zeebox as it is to pop up an on-screen graphic — and that’s a huge game changer.”

ENGAGE gives broadcasters the ability to add viewer interactivity such as votes, polls, and tweet battles into their live news and sports programming, along with rich call-to-action graphics and infographics. By integrating with popular second screen and social data partners including zeebox, the Chyron platform eliminates the need for custom integration while allowing broadcasters to maintain their routine production workflows. zeebox boosts the ability of broadcasters to offer TV programming that grabs the attention of viewers and fuels greater interactivity. The app gives broadcasters a single program-based destination where fans can chat, share, and interact.

Within the Chyron graphics workflow, the zeebox companion app becomes another layer of rich informational graphics, driven by the newsroom rundown or by the live sports graphics team using the same tools they rely on for daily production. The second screen graphics are created in Chyron’s Lyric graphics creation software, share the same look as the station or group’s on-screen graphics, and are fed by the same sports data feeds that feed on-air programming. Users can even decide on-the-fly which graphics go to air and which graphics go to the second screen.