AppRedeem recently launched a new version of its AppTrailers app, which now allows users to watch TV show trailers and to earn points (and eventually rewards) for watching.
There’s a new section in the app for TV. You can watch trailers and also hit the “set reminder” button, so that the app gives you a push notification 15 minutes before the show starts, based on your TV provider and location. For example, I opened up the app this morning and could choose to watch trailers for Beauty and the Beast, Vegas, Modern Family, and Two and Half Men. A commercial plays before the trailers.
It sounds like the TV networks aren’t paying to promote these trailers yet, but CEO Sheffield Nolan told me over email that the company is “in talks with a few networks to promote their TV shows,” and in the meantime the company is rolling this out to test engagement. (“The early results look very promising.”)
Nolan suggested that in the next quarter, users might be able to watch TV directly in the app itself, which seems pretty ambitious.
When I last covered AppTrailers in November, Nolan said the app had 6.5 million members. Now he said that number is up to 8 million, and that it’s bringing in revenue “in the high 7 digits” and profits in the “low 7 digits.”
Oh, and you may remember that TechCrunch is not wildly enthusiastic about incentivized downloads, but Nolan said the AppTrailers model is a bit different. Users are rewarded for watching the trailers, not the actual installs — a subtle difference, but it does mean the installs themselves are more likely to be motivated by actual interest.
You can download AppTrailers here.