What is NBC Live? Let me set the stage for you. Picture a modern cyber pajama party where people of all ages come together on common ground: television. With our lazy bones curled up on couches – or sprawled on beds like tweens gossiping with besties – we watch TV together as a nation and react in real time. NBC Live provides the chat host, a multitude of fun facts and some quiz questions, and you bring the carefree banter. But…this is 2011. Can anything really be as cute and fun as that? I’ll give you the run down as I see it. Get your bunny slippers and come with me!
NBC Live Online Streaming? Nope.
I salute NBC for having the kahunas to release a social iPad app. However, a ballsy idea does not a success make. NBC waited too long to release their apps, allowing their friends competitors to set the bar. Had NBC launched with on-demand full episodes for iPad and tacked on the social elements as a bonus, we’d be seeing high ratings. Instead of comments like, “can I give no stars?” and “You [NBC] need to learn how to do it from ABC”. Womp womp.
Double Dipping is a Crime where I Come From
During commercial breaks on TV, sponsor ads air simultaneously in the app. While it only last about 15 seconds, it stifles conversation irreparably and takes over your whole screen. If you’re in the middle of typing something – forgettaboutit – you’ll be starting over. But what annoys me more than anything is how greedy it appears. To use the app as it’s intended, you’re watching your TV, commercials and all. No DVR, no skipping ahead. NBC is essentially getting paid to throw commercials at you twice. Argh!
90% of the Time the App Does Nothing
As of this writing, NBC Live lets you interact with 3 shows: Love Bites, America’s Got Talent, and The Voice. That adds up to a few hours a week. And no matter how I spin it, I always end up at the same conclusion. It feels like an unfinished product rather than a teaser for what might come. I know, it’s impossible to please everyone. But really, NBC, can’t you fake it a little harder? Fool us into thinking you’re really into it, and people will follow. Instead, it comes across as a rushed experiment by the marketing department. Further proof: the awkward NBC Live tutorial by Rainn Wilson (a la Dwight Schrute), whose instructions are authentically apologetic. P.S. Rainn, I saw the pain in your eyes. You are forgiven.
And When you Want to do something….
…It’s hard. You can’t select text in the app. You can’t post a reply @ someone else in the room, unless you type it manually. And the typing box covers the the screen, making it impossible to follow the conversation as you type. It all adds up to a clunky interface. Besides that, I experienced bugs where one person’s message (sometimes mine) would repeat dozens of times. The only way to fix it was re-launching the app.
Is there hope for NBC Live on the iPad?
Despite all my negative comments, I have to say that NBC Live is charming. I tried it out during a couple of shows. The conversation was civilized and good-natured. I don’t know what kind of technology (or people) they have behind the scenes for monitoring, but the people chatting were enjoying it. In fact I ended up paying more attention to the conversation than the shows. There are a few nice features too, such as the ability to follow other users, time-zone filtering, and a ‘like’ button. I can see where they’re going, I just wonder if there’s enough interest to get it there.
Final Thoughts on NBC Live
If we could time travel back to the days of TGIF TV (simpler times?) this app would have been a runaway hit. But dropped into the context of today’s culture – and based on the demographic of iPad owners – it’s not a shoe-in. NBC, listen up. Pick 5 shows. Stream them live in the app. Ok, ok, make us sit through commercials, as long as we can still type. Provide a streamlined interface that fosters conversation better. Do that, and you’ll get some users back on your side. Living in the moment without strings, trolls or spam… sounds pretty nice actually. Can you do it?
Click here to download NBC Live for iPad and let us know what you think in the comments!
