Djoss TV, a viewer interactive program that lets users share views on live TV, recently won the $5,000 prize from the Cameroon Startup Challenge, inching it closer to achieving its goal of changing TV in Africa.
The team behind the app, comprising Patrick Ndjientcheu, Hervé Djia,Eloge Fokem, and Kouotou Aboubakar Sidiki,are now setting up a formal business to close formal partnerships with local TV channels and build a better Web mobile experience.
“According to some judges, our idea was the most ‘out of the box.’ Also, the fact that it has been well executed and has gained some traction so far gave us some advantages over other competitors,” Patrick Ndjientcheu, one of Djoss TV’s founders, told HumanIPO.
Ndjientcheu said Djoss.tv currently has around 1,000 users who have posted more than 25,000 comments. They recently released “Djoss SMS”, which lets TV channels view SMS reactions to their live shows (and reply to them) as easily as those on its web portal Djoss.tv.
Djoss SMS also enables conversations between TV viewers interacting using SMS and those interacting via Djoss.tv website. The SMS feature for Djoss.tv has processed around 6,000 SMS in the two months since its launch.
Ndjientcheu told HumanIPO he believes viewers in Africa can use Djoss.tv to learn life lessons interactively — in health, education, employment, housing, nutrition, transport, entertainment or just about anything else in their lives.
Djoss.tv aims to engage viewers in discussions as well as gauge their opinions before, during and after TV programmes.
The real-time virtual living room social experience provides a compelling way for TV channels to encourage and enhance real-time conversations around their shows, and can be used to gather viewers’ feedback, which is essential for reinventing television experiences as well as developing brand awareness further. It is also a powerful tool for advertisers to reach and engage TV viewers depending on their location.br />
InJuly, around 600 people had checked in more than 1,300 times on 45 TV programs. The live coverage of Cameroonian Election results publication was most popular with around 140 people gathering at that time gathered onDjoss.tv to share the impressions and follow live commentaries. This was followed by thecanal d’or ceremony with more than 70 Djosseurs who came to support their favorites artists, theFrench Presidential Debate and theAfrican Cup of Nations final.
The Cameroon Startup Challenge 2012 is a premier technology entrepreneurship event in the country, which was held on September 20.
