'Ask The Nation' Second Screen App Drive Real-Time Viewer Interaction

INTRODUCTION

Don’t Ask Me: Real-Time Feedback from the Viewers

Known as ‘Don’t Ask Me, Ask Britain’ in the UK and as ‘ إسأل العرب’ (Ask the Arabs) in the Middle East, this show integrates feedback from app users at home in real-time. Contestants in the studio have to guess what the entire nation thinks about a topic. For example, does the nation rather be beautiful, rich, famous or talented?

The format and integrated second screen app launched on a big scale on ITV and MBC. In total the app has been downloaded more than 3 million times.

In the studio, feedback from app users is turned into live infographics, taking over giant screens. Don’t Ask Me also offers a question of the day that is pushed out to app users daily, allowing the editors to get the pulse of the nation on any topic.

Capturing Live Audience Feedback for 'Don't Ask Me, Ask the Nation'

Commercial possibilities include banner ads, full screen interstitials, ads synced to TV commercials as well as opt-in sweepstakes to involve sponsors and capture user data and interest.

The Don’t Ask Me platform is built upon Ex Machina’s PlayTwo solution and provides the production team full control over the content and operations management and can easily be localised to any language and market.

OBJECTIVE

Real-Time Engagement that Drives the Don't Ask Me Format

The project aims to create an engaging app that leverages real-time audience input and offers advertising and sponsorship opportunities. The format was sold to different broadcasters which required flexibility for adaptation to various markets.

The platform was developed with the following objectives in mind:

Engage the audience by integrating real-time feedback from app users, making them an active part of the show.
Turn user feedback into live infographics displayed on giant screens in the studio creating a dynamic and visual reach studio experience.
Provide an easy to use producer control that enables the production team to have full control over content and operations
Support commercial possibilities, such as banner ads, full-screen interstitials, and TV commercial-synced ads, to generate revenue.
Create a flexible platform that allows for easy localization to different languages and markets.

SOLUTION

Don't Ask Me: Real-Time Engagement and Audience Feedback at Scale

The Don’t Ask Me Platform was developed on top of Ex Machina’s PlayTwo platform that is able to handle millions of real-time interactions, calculate results and provide the data through an API.

The platform consisted of an iOS and Android app, a web based producer console and a custom PlayTwo server architecture supporting the following features:

Real-time audience engagement The project integrates feedback from app users in real-time, making them an active part of the show and increasing audience engagement.
Live studio visuals User feedback is transformed into live infographics displayed on giant screens in the studio, enhancing the visual appeal of the show and creating dynamic content.
Monetization The project offers various commercial possibilities, including banner ads, full-screen interstitials, and TV commercial-synced ads, providing additional revenue streams.
Real-time operations The Producer Console offers the production team full control over content and real-time operations before, during and after the broadcast.
Market adaptability The format, supported by Ex Machina's solution, is designed to be easily adapted to different languages and markets, allowing for international expansion and localization.
Real-time interactivity at scale PlayTwo offers a cloud-based, scalable server architecture capable of delivering instantaneous, lag-free gamification experiences to hundreds of thousands of viewers
Data Capture Opt-in sweepstakes allows for the capture of user data and interests, which can provide valuable insights for sponsors and advertisers.

RESULTS

Empowering Interactive TV with Ex Machina: The 'Don't Ask Me' Success Story

Ex Machina was a key partner for the 'Don't Ask Me, Ask the Nation' format by developing an engaging, scalable and reliable platform for the television format. It harnessed the power of real-time audience input, successfully integrated commercial opportunities, and was customizable for the different versions around the globe.

With over 3 million app downloads and its impressive scalability, the project has proven its appeal to a broad and engaged audience and innovative broadcaster.

Successfully launched in the UK, Italy, and the Middle East, Ask The Nation uniquely combined real-time audience feedback with a live game show format. In the Middle East, the series on MBC set a new record for downloads, becoming the region's largest interactive entertainment program.

With over 3 million app downloads and its impressive scalability, the project has proven its appeal to a broad and engaged audience and innovative broadcaster.