NBC Launches New Social Network

NBC's getting more social. As the networks continue to dabble with Twitter and Facebook, NBC this week will unveil plans to take that kind of interactivity one step further.
Get ready for the launch of NBC Live (www.nbc.com/live), which will shoot out polls, trivia, insider commentary, photos and other behind-the-scenes information synced up to what's happening in real time on-screen. As The Office features a scene with Dwight (Rainn Wilson, who serves as the site's "host"), for example, NBC Live might ask users to vote on whether he deserves a promotion to branch manager.
NBC Live's real backbone will be a social stream in which users can comment about what's on screen and interact in real time with other viewers. A live moderator will be stationed at NBC to promote comments, weed out off-topic posts and coordinate all of the synced-up information.
"This is a great way for fans to communicate with each other as a companion to live TV, on an official site with real info," says NBCUniversal Digital Entertainment president Vivi Zigler. The goal: To get more viewers to turn off their DVRs and watch TV live (which would make advertisers happy).
NBC designed the new site with iPads in mind; the official NBC Live app is already available. The site officially launches April 26 with the debut of The Voicebut will eventually encompass all of the network's shows.
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