Key Points
- Sinclair has made a strategic investment in interactive television technology company IRCODE.
- The companies will launch IRCODE-powered interactive TV experiences in Sinclair’s Salt Lake City and Austin markets beginning in July.
- The deployment uses IRCODE Lens, a platform that allows viewers to interact with on-screen content and advertising through station apps.
Sinclair has made a strategic investment in interactive television technology company IRCODE and will begin deploying the company’s engagement platform across select local television markets this summer, the companies announced this week.
The partnership will also see Sinclair rolling out new interactive TV experiences in Salt Lake City and Austin starting next month, with additional cities expected to follow throughout the year.
The deployment centers on IRCODE Lens, a platform that allows viewers to interact with content and advertising appearing on television screens through Sinclair-owned mobile applications. The technology is designed to connect viewers with products, promotions, polls and other experiences tied to programming and advertisements.
Financial terms of Sinclair’s investment were not disclosed.
IRCODE’s technology uses image recognition to identify content appearing on television screens in real time, allowing viewers to access related information without the use of QR codes. Company executives describe the system as functioning similarly to music-identification apps but for visual content.
“Television has always delivered the audience. What it could not deliver was the proof of what happened next,” IRCODE Chief Executive Officer Matty Beckerman said in a statement. “We give broadcasters and their advertisers the infrastructure to make every moment on screen interactive, measurable and connected to a real outcome.”
Under the initial deployment, viewers in Austin and Salt Lake City will be able to open a Sinclair station app and point their smartphone camera at a television screen to access related content, offers and promotions. Because the interaction occurs within Sinclair’s own applications, viewer engagement and conversion data remain within the broadcaster’s ecosystem, the broadcaster noted.
Sinclair executives said the investment is aimed at bringing more measurable advertising outcomes to broadcast television.
“Television remains one of the most powerful mediums for reaching audiences at scale, but advertisers increasingly expect the same measurement, attribution and performance insights they receive from digital platforms,” said Sinclair Chief Business Officer J.R. McCabe. “By combining the reach, trust and impact of local media with interactive technology and real-time attribution, we can create more meaningful experiences for viewers while delivering measurable results for our advertising partners.”
The platform also supports viewer engagement features beyond commerce. Sinclair President of Technology Del Parks said the technology could be used for real-time audience participation, including polls and interaction with local news content.
“Using their cell phone cameras and our app, viewers can participate in real-time polls, comment on local news and interact with our advertisers,” Parks said. “IRCODE is a powerful technology that provides an easy-to-use interactive experience that adds enormous value to our content.”
The companies said the rollout is expected to expand across Sinclair’s station portfolio over time, including sports programming where live engagement and commerce opportunities could generate additional advertising revenue.
