A year or two back I posted on my company’s blog about why I quit FourSquare. It boils down to the simple fact that I wasn’t getting anything of value for constantly checking into places. Same thing with GetGlue and just about any other check-in app I’ve used. It’s fun to get badges and little cutesy titles for a while, but it gets old very quickly.
Which is why I was intrigued by Viggle when Access started working with them.
The premise: You pop open Viggle on your phone or tablet while watching TV, and let it listen to what you’re watching. It’ll recognize the show and allow you to check in. Every time you check in, you earn points, which can be redeemed for actual prizes.
Not badges or titles. Actual stuff people want and can use. Like gift cards, deals, t-shirts. I love t-shirts.
I can vouch personally. I saved up about 65,000 points over the course of around 6 months (the typical point total for an hour-long show is around 100-200) and traded in 62,000 for a $25 gift card at Best Buy.
Let me emphasize that point: this isn’t like the “Free iPad” posts your crazy aunt posts on Facebook in between her Obama rants and Kenny Loggins Jesus pics. Viggle is 100% legitimate. And it kicks ass.
Here’s a few reasons why I think this app has a bright future:
- It gives me (and every other user) a reason to watch live TV, which I almost never do.
- It incentivizes me to tune in to shows I never would otherwise (such as Nashville. I made it 6 minutes before stabbing myself.) This happens because Viggle offers extra points for checking into certain “featured” shows
- It keeps me from turning the channel (unless I’m watching Nashville.) This happens because Viggle offers in-show features such as trivia games and the “MyGuy” fantasy-style game during sporting events that actually require me to stick with the show and play along to earn extra points.
Example of a featured show on Viggle. This is fashion show starring PitBull. PitBull keeps getting nice things, somehow!
- It has rewards. Actual rewards.
There are some downsides. Viggle doesn’t pick up certain channels, and only recognizes your DVR’d shows within a day or two of the original airing. Viggle has limits on the amount of points you can earn, but they fall well within limits of normal human TV habits. It’ll take you a while to earn something, but that’s okay because you also checked in to that Waffle House for over a year to become mayor, and that put absolutely zero into your pocket.
The only other drawback is they need to expand their rewards options, but I think that’s coming soon.
It’s free and worth a try, so why not give it a whirl?
