Screenvision Activates SoundHound Partnership To Connect Mobile Moviegoers To Big Screen Ads

NEW YORK, May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Screenvision, a cinema advertising leader, announces the first brands to sign on since the company announced its relationship with audio recognition technology leader, SoundHound, last month. The Levi's® brand and Warner Bros. Records will be the first brands to employ SoundHound's technology beginning as early as this month.  With more than fifty percent of Screenvision's audience falling within the elusive and hard to reach young demographic of 12 to 34 years old, Screenvision is providing its advertisers opportunities for extended engagement beyond the screen. 

"We continue to innovate with our Front & Center preshow and this SoundHound partnership brings a popular platform with great reach to our advertisers looking to stay connected with moviegoers," said John McCauley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances. "In just a short time, we've seen great interest from advertisers looking to use the world's fastest music and audio recognition technology. We're already working with these brands to get their messaging directly on moviegoers' smartphones, when and where they want it."

SoundHound's technology will be used in conjunction with Screenvision's advertising and entertainment programming, such as music and trivia that appears during the company's Front & Center preshow. 

Advertiser Warner Bros. Records will tout upcoming programming and music releases.  Warner Bros. Records recording artist, Nico and Vinz, the chart-topping Afro-Norwegian singing/songwriting duo, will be the first to have the SoundHound bug on their music video "Am I Wrong." The bug will invite moviegoers to SoundHound the song, which will enable them to 'Add to Spotify' and see the live lyrics on their devices.

'Add to Spotify,' an exclusive new feature to SoundHound, allows users to add their discovered music into a Spotify playlist without ever leaving the SoundHound app. Popular lifestyle brand Levi's® will also be using the technology to connect to moviegoers.

"We are always looking for ways to connect with audiences at the moment of interest, and believe the movies are an ideal location to capture users' attention," said SoundHound Vice President Kathleen McMahon. "Through Screenvision, we're excited to be working with some great brands to develop very unique and engaging programs."

Screenvision's promotion of second screen opportunities is very robust, including a SoundHound prompt that is integrated into the advertisers' ad units, and standalone interstitial promos to remind moviegoers of upcoming SoundHoundable moments.  SoundHound will also receive interstitial branded promos to further showcase its unique and compelling benefits as well as encourage downloads. 

As music and programming is an important element of the Front & Center preshow, beginning this month, Soundtrax, Screenvision's soundtrack that runs during the preshow on an ongoing basis, will employ SoundHound technology. Entertainment partner ENTV also features content that will be available for SoundHound.

ABOUT SCREENVISION
Headquartered in New York, N.Y., Screenvision is a national leader in cinema advertising, offering on-screen advertising, in-lobby promotions and integrated marketing programs to national, regional and local advertisers and providing comprehensive cinema advertising representation services to top tier theatrical exhibitors presenting the highest quality moviegoing experience. The Screenvision cinema advertising network is comprised of over 14,200 screens in 2,200+ theater locations across all 50 states and 94% of DMAs nationwide; delivering through more than 150 theatrical circuits, including 6 of the top 10 exhibitor companies. For more information: http://www.screenvision.com.

ABOUT SOUNDHOUND
SoundHound Inc. is the leading innovator in sound recognition and search technologies. Its unmatched portfolio of technologies includes the world's fastest music and audio recognition, the world's only singing and humming search, instant-response large scale speech recognition systems, and automatic lyrics alignment. The SoundHound mobile application is the only app in the world that enables two distinct sound inputs to be recognized through a single search button. Both recorded music and a hummed query can be identified, delighting users and friends with the magic of capturing a song or finding a song through singing it. SoundHound technologies are deployed globally through carrier, device manufacturer, and automotive partnerships. SoundHound's applications, available on all major platforms, have been downloaded by more than 185 million users.

ABOUT NICO & VINZ
Nico & Vinz are an Afro-Norwegian singing/songwriting duo who have tapped into the heart of global culture by writing and performing songs that joyfully speak of life, love, and identity that is reminiscent of The Police and Paul Simon's Graceland.

Since their debut in 2010, Nico & Vinz have topped Scandinavian charts thanks to their extraordinary storytelling, riveting videos, and electrifying performances including the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.  Their 2013 hit single "Am I Wrong" has already crossed 50 million global streams on Spotify, has a 20x-platinum certification in Scandinavia, won them an NRJ Award for "Song of the Year," and another Spelleman Award (Grammy equivalent) nomination for "Hit of the Year." 

"Am I Wrong" was the #1 most added record at the Top 40/mainstream format in its first-week of impacting US radio where it cracked the Top 20.

Media Contacts:
Kristen Mueller or Michele Clarke – Olson
646.568.1356 or 203.912.0560
[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Screenvision