MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA and WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA--(Marketwire - January 28, 2009) -

News Facts:

• TV fans have high hopes for the current crop of new and returning shows in the January TV season -- just over half (51 percent) expect it to be an improvement over the fall season, according to a new Watercooler-SmithGeiger survey of nearly 800 TV fans in the TVLoop community.


• Despite the strong anticipation, new shows are having difficulty cutting through the clutter -- on average, more than half of TV fans have not heard of the shows debuting in 2009.


• To assist the TV industry with better research to guide its programming and marketing plans, Watercooler and SmithGeiger are launching a new suite of research tools that provides unprecedented access to viewers within the context of a social networking environment. Key data points from a recent research study on the 2009 TV season are included below.

What fans are watching

• While, on average, the majority of TV fans haven't heard of new shows debuting this winter and many aren't planning to watch them, 36 percent of fans say it's too soon to tell whether they're excited about new shows premiering this month.


• By contrast, ABC and FOX both have a number of shows returning this season that are highly anticipated by fans, including "Scrubs" (ABC), "Lost" (ABC), "American Idol" (FOX) and "Hell's Kitchen" (FOX).


• Despite turning in lower ratings than last year in its season premiere, "Lost" was still a hit with fans -- 92 percent of viewers labeled the episode "as good or better than expected," while 91 percent are anxiously awaiting the next episode.

Where fans are watching

• Even as delivery and time-shifting options proliferate, the vast majority of viewers are still watching episodes live as they air on TV.


• With the "Lost" premiere, for example, 68 percent of viewers watched the episode as it aired on ABC, while others tuned in after the fact -- 21 percent on their DVR or TiVo and 11 percent online.

Partnership brings new research tools to the TV industry

• The Watercooler-SmithGeiger partnership combines SmithGeiger's research expertise with Watercooler's more than 200 online fan communities to provide the television industry with unprecedented, real-time access to more than 16 million loyal TV viewers, broad research tools and viewer-targeting capabilities.


• Watercooler's engaged TV fans are quick to answer surveys and quizzes, as well as take part in online discussions about a variety of topics, demonstrating ideal qualities for delivering research results that will provide new insight into the minds and viewing habits of today's TV fans.

Links

Watercooler Corporate Web site

SmithGeiger Corporate Web site

TVLoop.com

Watercooler's TVLoop Blog

Quote, attributable to Watercooler executive:

"Our users are passionate TV fans who participate in various TVLoop communities to further engage with their favorite shows by watching full episodes, interacting with other fans, playing social games, and engaging in thoughtful analysis and discussion," explained Kevin Chou, CEO of Watercooler. "They're already creating and consuming various types of TV content across the different communities, so it's a truly unique environment to incorporate research studies and online focus groups on behalf of the TV industry."

Quote, attributable to SmithGeiger executive:

"TV fans are actively participating in social networking sites to share, engage, and explore their favorite TV shows. We've extended this into an unprecedented research platform, targeting viewers and capturing their feedback in an environment where they are already discussing television. The TV industry will be able to get feedback from loyal fans with an immediacy never seen before," said Seth Geiger, president of SmithGeiger LLC.

Press contacts for interviews or additional quotes:

Watercooler - Marie Williams at watercoolerpr@shiftcomm.com or 415-591-8416

SmithGeiger - Regina Miyamoto at reginamiyamoto@yahoo.com or 818-360-5590 or Jane McCarthy at jane@smithgeiger.com or 818 874-2000

ABOUT WATERCOOLER, INC.

Watercooler is a Mountain View, Calif.-based company founded in 2006 that aims to make connecting with your friends and other fans of your favorite sports teams and TV shows more engaging than ever before. Watercooler (www.watercooler-inc.com) provides the most extensive network of online fan communities around TV entertainment through its TVLoop applications within the top social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo! as well as the TVLoop.com Web site. Watercooler has more than 35 million registered fans and has raised a Series A round of financing from Canaan Partners of Menlo Park, Calif.

ABOUT SMITHGEIGER

SmithGeiger, LLC is customer market research and consulting firm focusing on all facets of the media industries. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SmithGeiger (www.smithgeiger.com) provides strategic counsel, supported by empirical findings to assist and guide decision making for broadcasters, cable channels, local TV stations, syndicators, studios, web sites, and gaming companies. We specialize in creating unique and advanced research methods to identify emerging trends in consumer attitudes and preferences. Our analysis identifies opportunities and action steps, which we convert into clear and concise recommendations designed to build growth and leadership for our clients.