The estimated reading time for this post is 8 minutes
One of the most satisfying experiences in life is to be rewarded for your hard work and perseverance. But what’s also great is to be rewarded for something you enjoy doing in your daily life without expending much effort. Viggle is the latter, a service that will reward you for watching TV.
That’s right, if you’re looking for an excuse to watch TV, Viggle’s got you covered. Viggle gives you points for checking into TV shows then lets you spend your points on the reward of your choice. You can redeem your points for something as small as a gift card or you can save up for the biggest prize – a cruise to the Caribbean. You can also donate your points to charity, such as the American Red Cross to help Hurricane Sandy victims.
About Viggle
I recently spoke with Greg Consiglio, President and COO of Viggle, about the company and its app that was launched in January this year. “We decided to build Viggle as a loyalty platform for TV. People love TV, they love their shows, but TV doesn’t love them back. Now there’s an opportunity for people to get something back for the time they invest in watching TV.”
Although Viggle is less than a year old, it has become popular quickly, currently having 1.2 million users. The average Viggle user has 85 minutes of check in time a night, according to Consiglio.
Currently, Viggle is only available in the US, but international expansion plans are in the future.
How Viggle Works
In short, you use Viggle by pressing a button on your phone to check in to a TV show to earn points you can redeem for rewards.
You can download the free Viggle app from the iTunes App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and from Google Play for Android devices. (Consiglio says they expect to expand to other platforms in the future.) After you download the app, you register for a Viggle account with your name, email address, zip code and TV provider.
Checking In
“Every show gets a point a minute,” said Consiglio.
After you have the app on your phone and have registered your account, you’re ready to check in to shows. Press the Check In tab on the bottom tool bar and you’ll be taken to a Check In screen. Press the button and the app will listen to the sound of the TV for about 10 seconds. The app then analyzes the data to determine which show you’re watching.
When Viggle figures it out, the app asks you to confirm your check in. You get one point for each minute you watch that show. Viggle figures you’re watching that show until it’s over or until you check in to another show. “As long as you don’t check into something else, you’ll earn a point a minute for that show,” said Consiglio.
The audio content recognition technology is impressive. I tested the app to see whether Viggle could tell the difference between Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News from Brian William on Rock Center. To make the test extra tough, I played a recording of NBC Nightly News while Rock Center was airing live. Sure enough, Viggle knew the difference between Brian Williams’ voice on the two shows and correctly identified each show.
The app isn’t perfect, sometimes it guesses wrong, in which case you can close the confirmation screen and try again. Be sure there isn’t any background noise and that the sound on your TV is loud enough for the app to hear it.
You have up to seven days after a show airs to check in when you watch it recorded on your DVR. Sometimes you get bonuses for watching live. “A network might come to us and say, ‘On Tuesday night offer 500 points if someone watches it live,'” explained Consiglio.
The app doesn’t cover local shows, nor all shows on all networks, but does cover two hundred channels in prime time every night, according to Consiglio. Check the What’s On tab to see a guide of shows from your TV provider. The app also provides a list of featured shows and shows with the most chatter.
Bonus Points
You can earn bonus points for activities such as watching videos (a/k/a ads) in the app or on YouTube, playing trivia games, voting in polls and purchasing from Viggle partners. These bonus points can add up quickly so be on the lookout for opportunities to earn them.
Almost every show I’ve checked in to has offered a video ad to watch to earn bonus points. These video ads are targeted to the user. “I can have four people on a couch watching the same program and deliver four different ads to them based on their check in to that show,” said Consiglio.
Viggle sometimes partners with networks to offer bonus points and rewards for things such as checking in to every episode of a TV show during a season. Consiglio gave the example of getting a walk on part on a TV show as a bonus reward.
DirecTV is partnered with Viggle and offers bonus points for checking in to certain TV shows and movies. Currently, Viggle is offering 200,000 bonus points for Viggle users who switch to DirecTV using the Viggle app. That’s nearly enough points to earn an Apple TV, for example, or get you closer to that cruise.
To find out how to earn bonus points, check out Viggle Boy, a blog dedicated to showing you how to earn points on Viggle.
Rewards
After you have started earning points, you’ll look forward to redeeming them for rewards. Consiglio gave examples of rewards such as movie tickets, gift cards, contest entries and other products from companies including Starbucks, JC Penney, Sephora, Foot Locker, and Best Buy. The choice of rewards ranges from discounts on products to a Royal Caribbean cruise. The cruise costs 4 million points so don’t expect to earn a cruise overnight. But by checking in you’ll be getting closer to that cruise with each show you watch.
“If you’re willing to put in the time to watch TV, play the games and earn extra points, you’d be surprised how quickly you can earn points,” said Consiglio.
You can also redeem your points for donations to charities. In November, Viggle had a seven day challenge to match donations to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Sandy up to $20,000. During that week, Viggle and its users combined to donate $50,000 to the Red Cross. “One person in New Jersey who had hundreds of thousands of points decided to cash them in to help victims of Hurricane Sandy instead of going on a cruise,” said Consiglio.
After it first launched on iTunes, Viggle adjusted its points system, resulting in an outcry from Viggle fans. Consiglio explained that the points initially required to earn a reward were too low. “Like many start-ups, when we launched we didn’t know much about the way our platform would work, we didn’t know how many points we should give out versus how many points a reward should cost to run our business effectively. The ratio of how many points it took to get a reward economically wasn’t correct.”
V-Gifts
Rewards aren’t the only benefit from using Viggle. When you check in with Viggle, you may earn a V-Gift. V-Gifts, launched in November, are delivered to your email inbox the day after you check in and can give you deals such as 10% off at the Gap or $25 off of your meal at Buca de Beppo.
MyGuy
This fall, Viggle entered the realm of Fantasy Football with MyGuy. When you check into a live college or NFL football game you can choose players to earn extra Viggle points. If your chosen players do well, you earn points. If they don’t do well, you lose points. You can substitute players any time during the game to earn a maximum of 1000 extra Viggle points for a game.
You compete with others in a pool of ten people for choosing the best player. Right now those people are chosen at random but in the future you’ll be able to compete with your friends from Facebook. The top four Viggle users in a game earn points for their account.
Other Features
With Viggle, you can set reminders, Like a show and share your check ins on social media. You can also click to IMDB and Wikipedia directly from the app when you check in to some shows. With Viggle Live, you can answer trivia questions and respond to polls to earn bonus points.
Viggle and GetGlue
If you’ve read GetGlue HD – Your New Favorite Entertainment Guide!, you may already be checking in to GetGlue when you watch TV to earn stickers and share your comments with others. Viggle recently entered into an agreement to purchase GetGlue for $25 million plus 48.3 million shares of Viggle stock (symbol VGGL), worth approximately $82 million, as of the closing price on Friday.
Viggle has not yet determined whether the GetGlue and Viggle apps will be combined into a single Social TV app. “We’re exploring and considering all options, but it’s too early to determine whether we’ll combine to form one app. We want to do what’s best for our members, network and brand partners so that’ll lead our discussions and decisions.”
If changes are made, they won’t be immediate. “The Viggle experience and GetGlue experience will continue to be the same for the time being. Vigglers will continue to get rewarded for watching TV with Viggle, while GetGlue users will continue to get stickers for their favorite TV shows.”
Bottom Line
If you’re looking to earn rewards for watching TV, check out Viggle and check in!
Do you like earning rewards for watching TV? Have you ever tried Viggle? What do you think of the GetGlue acquisition by Viggle? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below!
HI Carolyn
Firstly thanks for sharing the great idea that Viggle is into. Now my children will get a great reason for watching TV if this idea is implemented in India.
Also we will be getting reward for our idle time that too in minutes.
I have two queries
1.What will happen if my phone get discharged while I am watching using App?
2. What will happen if I get a phone call while watching TV, will TV is paused or ?
because then I will be loosing points as I am being paid on minute basis.
Thanks for sharing the info.
Sapna
Hi Sapna, Yes, I hope Viggle comes to India. The service sure is enticing, getting paid to watch TV.
Once you check in, you don’t have to keep the app open. The app will assume that you are watching the entire show unless you check in to another show.
But sometimes you want to keep the app open to answer fun trivia questions and earn more points. So you may want to keep a charger handy to maximize your oppportunities for fun and points!
If you get a phone call, you can answer it and you won’t lose any points. You could either pause the program, if you’re watching it thorough a DVR, or turn off the TV. Or, If you really like the show, you could let voice mail answer the call and you could return the call later! 😉
Hi Carolyn,
Don’t tell me – earn rewards for watching TV! That means TV is no more an idiot box!! 🙂
Well, that’s a great idea and I wonder why it took so long for people to come up with it. Many years ago I knew of a similar services that paid you for browsing the internet, though I did not earn from them and I do not know if they exist now.
Rewarding is a good marketing strategy, and it’s a win-win for everybody – except that now people will watch more TV than you’d usually watch, so spend more time on it, and so there goes the priorities… But anything within limits and out of the bounds of addiction is not harmful or distracting.
Smart marketers now want the share of your time because they realize time is so valuable. On the other hand, everybody’s got this invaluable property and everybody can be rich now! I think Viggle is sure going to go viral all over the world. Thanks for taking time and effort to educate us all on this very latest development. 🙂
~ Harleena
Hi Harleena, Yes, as you watch TV shows, you might feel less guilty because you’re actually doing something productive now! It could be addictive to keep watching shows to add points, but at least you will get rewards for your addiction.
I imagine this business will be successful outside the US. It’s less than a year old yet already has a strong following in the US.
Viggle sounds like a great little tool! But alas….I’m still living in Canada, so I have to miss out, once again :-(.
I still love learning about all of these fast emerging tools and apps. It keeps me in the loop! Keep ’em coming Carolyn!
Hi Ruth, I imagine that Canada will be at the top of Viggle’s list for international expansion. They had plans to expand outside the US after they got everything right in the US. I think Viggle has come a very long way in under a year.
At least when Viggle comes to Canada, you will know right away what it is and why you should join! 🙂
I really should agree that it is quite a smart move in an area which was neglected all the while….watching TV can be rewarding…who could have thought of that in this smart-everything era 🙂
Nice concept and I am sure it will gain a lot of popularity over the days…good to know about the audio sensors taht are built and which are taht effective also.
Thanks for this wonderful share.
Hi Praveen, Yes, this really is brilliant. It’s one of those services that you wonder why someone didn’t think of it sooner.
The audio content recognition really is amazing. When it doesn’t work, you can generally figure out why, such as if someone sitting next to you is crunching on pretzels during those 10 seconds. But you can always try it again!
Very interesting. Two takes on this:
(1) TVs not dead yet… or….
(2) This is the end of civilization as we know it. (j/k)
So their revenue stream is from partnering with shows, networks, DirectTV, etc., and ads? Are they making money?
Hi Barrett, Good points. Very cool, but do we Americans really need another excuse to be a couch potato?
According to Consiglio, Viggle has had a revenue stream since it launched. You can see their financial information here: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=VGGL+Income+Statement&annual
I have always secretly hoped someone would come out with something that would reward people for watching TV. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t sit around all the time and just watch TV and I rarely watch anything live. But it is my time to chill out and I do it late at night so I was thrilled when you said we had up to 7 days to watch the program.
I think I’d be curious to see what types of shows it would approve. You know, if I’m watching any of the ones that they would give me points for. I mean I’m watching it anyway right! I could always use a gift card.
This is yet another handy thing I can do with my iPod Carolyn. Thank you for sharing this. Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, this is really fun technology that people who love to watch TV will enjoy using. The app works with daytime TV as well as primetime shows. The Ellen Show had a promotion with Viggle earlier this year.
If All My Children were still on the air, you and I could be going on that cruise together, Adrienne! :-bd
You’re right, your iPod Touch will be put to great use with Viggle, Adrienne!
Hi Carolyn,
Wonderful idea and really interesting concept.
it really make sense why they got millions of subscribers in short period. Broadcast social media and online business is going to rule the planet on coming years since it offers more room to earn everyone those wish to involve.
Though eventually it will eat your TV watch time, still subscriber’s will tend to incline due to rewards.!! Soon we can hear technical tie up info from Verizon, Att kind of service providers for Viggle:-)
After few years, Viggle will hold live data feed of favorite channels around the planet and would offer better visibility for program makers and may offer different online surveys with live feed. Real cool idea.
Thanks for the informative post Carolyn.
Hi Manickam, I’m glad you like Viggle. Yes, as people love both rewards and watching TV, it’s a great combination. I can’t even imagine the data base that would be required to recognize seven days of tv shows airing on channels around the world, but it probably will happen some day.
I can see how TV networks and production companies would be very interested in the data generated by Viggle as well as their engaged users. I imagine this business has potential as long as there are TV’s, smartphones and people who like rewards!
Hi Carolyn,
Now I’m not a TV fan though I watch cartoons sometimes since I start using computer 😉 I was Addicted to TV as a child.
I had the question about how it differentiate from GetGlue, then I got to know about the acquisition 🙂 Thanks for mentioning about that. I only knew a bit about GetGlue and never explored about such apps as here we don’t use ’em yet dear.
TV experience is now socialized and I like the facts – Rewarding and Bonus. Hmm… Audio Content Recognition Technology is cool as you tested ’em out and got impressive results. Yet it’s non-human so have excuses. From the business point of view, they have identified user preferences and now hitting on ’em 😉 Pretty addictive. I wonder who would be the competitor as GetGlue is already under their umbrella.
Cheers…
Hi Mayura, Yes, I am finding that Viggle is quite addictive. Now that I’ve written about it I don’t have to use it any more, but I am because it’s fun to earn points for watching TV.
GetGlue tends to be more social with the ability to earn cool stickers. I still check into GetGlue as well as to Viggle. For example, this weekend was the season finale of one of my favorite shows. I checked into Viggle for the points and then checked into GetGlue to discuss the show with fellow fans of the show.
I don’t now who will be their competitor for social TV. Plenty of other apps exist for discovering content on TV, but the combined forces of Viggle and GetGlue would be a strong opponent for a new entrant into the social TV market. I imagine it might be a business that already is in that category such as TV Guide or IMDB.
Thanks for stopping by and offering your thoughts, Mayura!
That is quite an interesting idea. I can see a lot of opportunity there, from the business side that is.
As a parent I have some concern about encouraging my children to watch more television than they do now, but it sounds like it could be kind of cool.
Hi Josh, Yes, I agree, children don’t need an incentive to watch more TV so you don’t have to let your kids use the app if you don’t want to. But they can enjoy the rewards you earn if you want to share them! 🙂
You always keep coming up with different applications that are equally interesting and innovative. Again, I like this idea of earning points by watching television through viggle. It is something new I have heard about for the first time from you. I would surely note dow this post and try to earn some points myself.
Hi David, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you like Viggle and I hope you enjoy some great rewards for watching TV!
Yes, I try to find the best tech to make your everyday life more fun and efficient. This app is both fun and useful. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Wow. This has to be one of the best ideas I have seen in a long time. I love watching TV, and if I had access to Viggle I would have used it all the time. They should team up with “Get Glue”. By the way, how does Viggle know how long you have watched the show?
Hi Jens, Yes, Viggle is a great idea, that’s why I was so excited to share this with Wonder of Tech readers! Viggle figures that you started watching when you check into the show. For example, if you check in 20 minutes into an hour long show, you will get 40 points for 40 minutes watched (unless you check into another show before the end of your hour long show).
Your business instincts are spot on. Viggle was thinking the same thing and entered into a contract to purchase GetGlue (I mention this at the end of the article). The combined companies could have a lot of benefits for viewers! :-bd
I jumped over the GetGlue part 🙂
But, is it possible to just check in to a TV show and not watch it and you’ll get credited for the whole show?
Jens, I figured you were so excited about Viggle that you couldn’t wait to leave a comment! 😉
Yes, it is possible to get points for watching the entire show if you only check in at the beginning but don’t watch the entire show.
Viggle is great, my wife loves it! I love how they have a cruise as a price like that is even mathematically possible!
Hi Stock Market Funding, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! That’s great that your wife likes Viggle too. I hope she earns enough points for both of you to take a lovely cruise!
Hi Carolyn,
Viggle is GREAT! It made Monday Night Football fun again. I’d lost interest since John Madden left, but now I can play a strategy game with My Guy. You can switch back and forth between players who you think are going to score big, or even just choose the defense, and win lots of points. My husband was disgusted that I wanted to watch the whole game when we normally don’t care who wins between NY Giants or Wa Redskins. You can see who else is playing along and how they are winning points too. You can even “talk smack” and leave make comments, but since they are on a separate screen, none of the other 9 players seemed to see that.
It’s also interesting that it gives me credit for watching my regular shows even when I watch them delayed by my DVR. The only problem is that it makes you want to watch more TV to get more points!
Thanks!
Ann
Hi Ann, Lol, I was playing MyGuy on Viggle during that game too. I’m not very good, though, I ended up being ranked 10th.
There was some smack talk in my group, but not in my group on Sunday.
Yes, I definitely want to watch more shows with Viggle. And I watch more football now too because I want the Viggle points and because MyGuy is so much fun!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying Viggle, Ann. I hope I see you in a MyGuy group soon! 🙂