Historically a passive, one-way street of entertainment, television has recently become a super highway of interactivity, with the audience becoming truly engaged participants in our own entertainment.

And innovative mobile, “second-screen,” technology is powering our journey. According to recent studies, around 86% of tablet owners and 88% of smartphone owners use their devices while watching TV. The most popular activity is checking email, but a close second is seeking content related to the program. Within the last year the number of companion apps has exploded, with opportunities to “check in”, earn loyalty points or log in as a “super-fan.”But apps related to TV programming have been evolving even further, intuitively interacting with programming to give viewers a deeper entertainment experience overall, including video, social sharing, contest entry, special offers and more.

Likewise, that same technology gives brands and program producers the ability to create an explosive, multi-dimensional, fully integrated experience for viewers. With this new capability, audiences can explore beyond the limits of broadcast time to consume entertainment that breaks through the screen and can be viewed away from the television after the air-date.Red Bull, both a cutting-edge brand and a leader in adrenaline-packed sports programming development through their Red Bull Media House arm, teamed up with Shazam, the industry leader in second-screen technology, to enhance Red Bull Supernatural, a stunning two-hour snowboarding competition that aired on NBC on March 31. It was a first-of-its-kind backcountry competition designed to showcase the skills of the best all-around riders on the planet competing through a series of tree-line features, jumps and drops emerged creating the ultimate backcountry run.When viewers used the Shazam app during the competition, they were able to unlock exclusive “helmet cam” footage of the downhill run, instantly activating exclusive real-time streaming video from the boarders’ point-of-view. Fans were able to ride the course through the eyes of the most progressive boarders, right on their mobile device. Four different videos were unlocked at certain time codes, encouraging people to come back and Shazam each video.Results exceeded Red Bull Media House’s and Shazam’s expectations. Not only were thousands of people interacting with the program, they were sharing their experience with friends on Facebook and Twitter, further scaling engagement - even after the live broadcast was over. The campaign, considered a groundbreaking success, was the perfect fusion of entertainment, technology and advertising.