Daniel Danker has been Chief Product Officer at Shazam since May 2013, and is responsible for the companys product strategy and direction, including expanding the role Shazam plays in music and growing new businesses like Shazam for Television. He joined Shazam from the BBC, where he was the General Manager of BBC iPlayer, launched iPlayer Radio, created a seamless journey from broadcast to connected television through the Connected Red Button, and delivered the media experience for the London 2012 Olympics. He will be speaking at the session Second Screen and Social Innovations' on Friday 13 September at 11:00.
Q: At IBC you're speaking on the panel Second Screen and Social Innovations'. How do you think the companion screen and its associated apps can help programme makers?
A: The creative community always celebrates new opportunities to make better content. We're now at a place with mobiles and tablets where the technology is sufficiently broadly adopted that programme makers can start to weave it naturally into the narrative of their shows. And that's really exciting, because it means that we're going to start to see stories told in new ways. Competitions, award shows, and sport have been first to change, but I'm also excited to see how documentaries, children's and educational content, even comedy evolves. There's a second aspect to the transformation, too. Data has already transformed many online services, making them more timely and personal. But we have yet to see that transformation really happen in the broadcast world. Now, products like Shazam use data to create stronger connections between programme makers and their viewers, and that's certain to have the kind of transformative impact in television as it has had in online services.
Q: From an outside perspective it can be seen that television is having trouble hooking into social media and truly becoming social television. What, if anything, do you think is holding it back?
A: Television isn't struggling with social media when you consider that 40% of tweets are about broadcast during primetime. But social is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. Products that attempt to make TV social are only going to be valuable to viewers in very specific circumstances and for a very specific set of shows. Second screen has to think beyond social, helping people answer simple questions, not manufacture a need where it doesn't exist. Social is an important element to the second screen, but experiences that revolve purely around it are barking up the wrong tree.
Q: Are genuinely transmedia projects starting to appear? Does the industry need changes in production culture or techniques to move beyond the #pleasewatchourshow approach?
A: What we're really talking about here is the convergence of content and technology, and what it takes to make that convergence successful. By and large, for the last 10-15 years the technology of TV has evolved in two ways: better picture quality, and breaking free from time and place. I have the freedom to watch whenever I want to and on any screen, but broadly speaking these are still the same stories told the same way. When we talk about transmedia, I think what we all mean is that we're looking for technology to affect content such that the storylines change. For that to happen, technology needs to be simple and ubiquitous, and we're only just getting to a place where smartphone / tablet penetration is sufficiently high and apps like Shazam make the experience simple enough to delight mass audiences.
Q: Do you think any major production can afford to ignore the connected viewer in 2013?
A: No, if for no other reason than the making of TV content is increasingly connected with advertisers who expect to know and measure what is going on with their advertising spend.
Q What is your elevator pitch to broadcasters?
A: We can help you make contact with your audience to deliver more engaging programming, helping you be more creative in the process.
Q: You've been at Shazam for several months now. In what areas are you looking to steer its growth?
A: I'm focused on our core services of music, TV and advertising. In music, Shazam has amazing predictive capabilities that can delight our users beyond simple music discovery. With TV and advertising, Shazam offers unparalleled simplicity and flexibility, taking viewers directly to the content they just saw on the telly instead of making them type long web addresses or scroll through endless lists. Our growth will come from building on that simplicity, relevance, and flexibility to bring audiences closer to the programmes they love, and advertisers closer to their customers.
Q: Companion apps such as Shazam for TV are becoming an increasingly crowded marketplace. What do you think are the criteria for success?
A: Three key elements: simplicity, relevance and flexibility. For users, the second screen has to be easy to understand and simple to use. Then, the result they receive has to be relevant to them it has to give them the information that they're looking for without a lot of searching through extraneous content. Lastly, it has to be flexible for programmers and advertisers in that it can't be a one-size-fits-all the companion experience needs to give them the flexibility to express themselves the way they want to. The experience if you're watching the NFL needs to be different than if you're watching American Idol which needs to be different than if you're watching NCIS.
Q: Shazam has recently concluded a fairly major deal with Saavn to access the Indian market. There is a temptation to assume that broadcast technology is adopted first in the established markets and then rolls out to the emerging territories. Is mobile and the second screen circumventing
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Daniel Danker has been Chief Product Officer at Shazam since May 2013, and is responsible for the companys product strategy and direction, including expanding the role Shazam plays in music and growing new businesses like Shazam for Television. He joined Shazam from the BBC, where he was the General Manager of BBC iPlayer, launched iPlayer Radio, created a seamless journey from broadcast to connected television through the Connected Red Button, and delivered the media experience for the London 2012 Olympics. He will be speaking at the session Second Screen and Social Innovations' on Friday 13 September at 11:00.
