In an email message to users, television companion app tvtag announced the closure of its mobile apps and website, effective January 1, 2015. The platform that began its life as GetGlue (before being acquired by i.TV in November 2013) encouraged its users to chat with friends and strangers while watching any number of popular (or obscure) television shows, and rewarded users for doing so with animated, virtual stickers associated with specific shows.
GetGlue became tvtag in January 2014. The transition introduced new features to users, like the ability to doodle on screen captures from a show currently on the air. Shortly after the i.TV acquisition, the app eliminated its popular physical stickers program, which allowed users to order free, physical copies of the stickers they had earned within the app.
In the email notification, users were told the closure will allow i.TV to “refocus [its] efforts on other initiatives,” but no further plans have been revealed. As of this writing, the tvtag app is still available to download on the Google Play store, but it has been pulled from iTunes.
When asked about the closure, i.TV CEO, Brad Pelo, issued this statement:
“We’re grateful for our association with the GetGlue community as they became tvtag under our ownership. We have learned and benefitted greatly from our year together. One indicator of that benefit is that many of the GetGlue team members remain at i.TV and the bulk of our work force has shifted to New York City.”
i.TV released its social sports-watching app, Spit, in September 2014, but it too has been removed from the iTunes App Store. The standalone TV guide app, i.TV, is still active.
Source: http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2014/12/22/television-companion-app-tvtag-close-january-1/
