TV guide and discovery company i.TV has acquired second-screen and entertainment check-in service GetGlue. The goal is to create a more powerful, leading-edge second screen and social TV platform for both consumers and end-users.
Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but GetGlue will retain its office in New York City and continue to operate its own app.
"For GetGlue users, it will be business as usual," i.TV CEO Brad Pelo said.
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This is the second time GetGlue has been approached for acquisition. In November 2012, social startup Viggle announced its intention to acquire GetGlue for a mix of stock and cash. Two months later, the deal fell through with GetGlue moving forward as an independent company.
You might remember i.TV as the maker of the incredibly popular iOS and Android TV guide app. That app remains the most downloaded TV guide in the history of the App Store; it surfaces content not only from local stations, but also from streaming services and online rental shops. The company claims 15 million subscribers.
Behind the scenes, i.TV has quietly been building up a more robust discovery backend for various providers. It co-created and powers Nintendo TVii, the second-screen and discovery mechanism for Nintendo's Wii U console, and powers the social TV experiences for Entertainment Weekly, AOL and The Huffington Post.
GetGlue is more well-known to consumers, where it remains the largest entertainment check-in platform. Over the years, GetGlue has amassed more than 4.5 million registered users that deliver 1 billion social impressions each month.
Pelo sees GetGlue as an important element in building out the broader i.TV platform.
"Our own studies show that 30% of the discussions that take place around TV on Twitter during primetime come from GetGlue," he said. Pelo also noted that the engagement levels within the app are much higher than the company had anticipated.
"I just sort of expected that users would check-in to the app and that would be it," he said. "Instead, users spend a ton of time inside GetGlue and have whole conversations around the data."
When I spoke with Pelo at the Nintendo Wii U launch last year, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between i.TV's projects and GetGlue's aspirations in the electronic TV guide space.
This acquisition is interesting in that it's a solid meld between two platforms with similar goals — helping users find and engage with the best TV content — but different strengths.
GetGlue is the stronger consumer-facing property, while i.TV has built up its expertise powering platforms for major video providers. Pelo said the goal is to bring those two worlds together. This means that GetGlue users can get more insights and recommendations based on i.TV's technology, and the i.TV platform can be better immersed into the social facing role of GetGlue.
Pelo said GetGlue will address the future of relationships with companies like DirectTV further down the line.
Image: GetGlue