Zeebox Becomes Beamly, Offers an All-Day TV Experience

Companion viewing apps haven't taken off like the industry thought they would a few years ago. While viewers love to tweet during their favorite shows, dedicated social apps haven't seen much traction. That's likely why U.K.-based app Zeebox has rebranded itself Beamly, and is now pursuing a different strategy for a targeted demographic.

Beamly is meant to provide an all-day experience, and not only be used while watching TV. Users can follow their favorite stars, chat in TV rooms, and get recommendations from a personalized guide.

The app is pulling in some star power for this release, with 100 celebs -- such as YouTube personalities Tyler Oakley, Sawyer Hartman, and Kalel Cullen-- hosting their own TV rooms. Kandi Burruss of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" will join in the coming weeks.

In a statement about the rebranding, CTO and co-founder Anthony Rose noted that two-thirds of Zeebox's users were female and many were 16- to 24-years-old. Beamly is aimed squarely at that demographic.

Beamly lets users find and follow others with the same TV interests. Rose says that when users follow other users their usage grows 9 times to over 21 visits per user per week, and to over 500 minutes per week.