CBS launches social viewing rooms

CBS Interactive today announced the Social Viewing Room, which launches with Intel as its premier sponsor. The Social Viewing Room lets TV fans watch the most popular CBS Network TV shows online at the same time as their friends, and interact as if they were all sitting together in the same room.

At launch, CBS will have Social Viewing Rooms available for Primetime, Daytime, and CBS Classics. While in a Social Viewing Room fans chat, make comments, and throw or animate customized virtual objects on the screen. Users can also more easily find, befriend, and have conversations with others who share their passion for CBS programming. Viewers will see a list of everyone else in the room, and can chat with any or all of them directly during the show, thus increasing viral aspects through chat and interaction.

"The Web offers a unique opportunity to do more than just rebroadcast entertainment content," said Anthony Soohoo, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Entertainment at CBS Interactive. "The CBS.com Social Viewing Room is a next-generation social media platform that lets users engage with each other and the content they are watching in a fun new way, while at the same time giving advertisers an opportunity to connect with this engaged audience."