Bob Sillerman’s Function (x) has closed on its $4.6 million cash/stock acquisition of Loyalize. And Function(x) has already been using Loyalize with its Viggle loyalty program for television.
Function(x) said it demonstrated the power of Loyalize’s functionality during Sunday’s broadcast of The Grammys. Viewers who checked into the show with Viggle were able to participate in “Viggle Live,” a program of real-time polls and voting, giving them the opportunity to earn extra Viggle points which can be redeemed for real rewards such as music, movie tickets and gift cards.
“78% of active Viggle users checked into The Grammys on Sunday night and 64% of this group played along with ‘Viggle Live,’ answering real-time questions, voting and responding to polls related to the awards ceremony,” said Chris Stephenson, President of Viggle. “We saw people engaged with Viggle for over an hour and 20 minutes as we asked them questions about what was happening live onstage. Loyalize introduces a level of engagement unlike anything on the market,” he claimed.
Viggle first used Loyalize technology to create the “Viggle Bowl,” a special event for Viggle users that gave fans who checked into the Super Bowl the opportunity to answer sports trivia questions and vote for their favorite commercials. More than 40% of Viggle’s total members at the time participated in the event, demonstrating the ability of in-app experiences to capture and hold the attention of audiences.
