BRAVO TO OFFER WEEKLY "VIRTUAL VIEWING PARTIES" AROUND "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY"

BRAVO TO OFFER WEEKLY "VIRTUAL VIEWING PARTIES" AROUND "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY"

--Channel's Social TV Offering Branded as "Bravo Talk Bubble"
NBC Universal-owned cable channel, Bravo, has announced plans to offer a live, social TV experience around each week's episode of its reality series, "The Real Housewives of New York City" (airs Thursdays at 10:00PM Eastern/Pacific). The social TV offering, which Bravo has branded as "Talk Bubble," builds on the apparent success of one-off so-called "virtual viewing parties" that the channel previously offered in association with the May 5th finale of the prior season of "Real Housewives of New York City" and the December 9th finale of the series, "Top Chef." By going to www.bravotalkbubble.com or texting "PARTY" to 27286, Bravo says, viewers will be able to engage directly with their favorite housewives (the first participating New York housewife will be Jill Zarin), and will be able to react to the show through Twitter, Facebook or mobile while watching it live. "Thousands of fans participated in the last two virtual viewing parties, and we had such a great response that we decided to implement this weekly for a more dynamic experience for our highly engaged audience," Lisa Hsia, Bravo's SVP of digital media, said in a prepared statement. "The Bravo Talk Bubble is a real-time watercooler event that allows us to grow our audience through social media, and to have a two-way conversation with fans as they experience Bravo in a more personal, intimate way than ever before."

Each week during the "Real Housewives" Talk Bubble, Bravo says, different housewives will interact with fans on Twitter, as well as "Watch What Happens: Live" host Andy Cohen and some of his weekly guests. The Talk Bubble will offer a video widget, featuring highlights from that night's episode, that viewers can share with friends via Twitter, Facebook, email and their mobile phones. These selected videos will also be available in the Talk Bubble video player, Bravo says. In addition, during the show's broadcast, "Tweet Spots" will show a selection of viewer comments in real time. Viewers will also be able to take part in nightly polls and the "Tweet Heat" sentiment meter, which tracks how they are feeling about the housewives during the show.