Viewers' experiences of a TV quiz show with integrated interactivity

This article presents the findings of the audience research conducted on the cross media Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) and Mobile Java-based interactive play-along TV game show Enigma. The show was developed as the first Finnish TV game show with fully integrated, synchronized interactivity, allowing the audience to participate in the show either by a Java-based mobile phone or by an MHP set-top box. The results show that the viewers' behavior during the show and involvement in the game varied depending on whether they participated with friends or alone. Furthermore, MHP-based interactivity proved to whet the viewers' appetite the most, whereas interactivity in general was appreciated by the participants. Viewers enjoying the passive version also took an interest in the interactivity. Eighty percent of the viewers, women in particular, found it easy to participate in the quiz show, although the interactivity stole a great deal of time and attention from the video content. The important finding is that the interactivity added value to the viewing experience and made it more exciting, involving the audience. Eighty percent of the interactive viewers were in favor of more interactive programs on television and thus stated their interest in participating in future interactive TV programs.