Starz is getting users hyped up about its new original series, ?Da Vinci?s Demons,? through a new second-screen iPad application that aims to complement the viewing experience.

The app features video content that is triggered by Audio Sync Technology. The Citizens of Florence app is available for free download in Apple?s App Store.

?Our strategy is to engage consumers in our amazing new show about a fascinating man and time in history, Da Vinci and Florence in mid-15th century,? said Kelly Bumann, senior vice president of digital marketing at Starz.

?Also, we want to extend the viewing experience and build engagement/loyalty with our viewers and drive buzz and interest in the show.?

Second-screen interactions
The show centers around a world where thought and faith are controlled and Leonardo Da Vinci will have to fight to set knowledge free.

Through the app viewers can join Da Vinci in his quest and unlock interactive content in real-time or choose to sit back and enjoy the episode, while exploring unlocked content through the eyes of a citizen of Florence after the show.

Based on the character users select ? an artist, banker or someone else ? the experience and access to exclusive artifacts within Florence will vary.

Via the Citizens of Florence app, users can choose their own personalized second-screen path, without being forced into a synchronous experience or having their premium viewing disrupted, per Starz.

While most of the interactive content is triggered by the progression of each episode of Da Vinci's Demons, users have the ability to catch up and access the interactive content for a particular episode at any time by download after premiere using the Manual Sync option.

Furthermore, the app is built to support all types of viewing platforms and experiences including: live Starz audiences, time-shifted Starz DVR users, binge viewing on platforms such as Starz on Demand and Starz Play, and ultimately Blu-ray/DVD.

The app also includes videos featuring scene pulls, interviews with series creator David S. Goyer, Dr. Findlen of Stanford, as well as historian videos and deleted scenes.

Additionally, the app features 360-degree views of da Vinci's inventions, more than 80 show elements, artifacts, characters and props, 24 panoramic environments and locations to explore and 8 mini games ? one per episode, that once mastered, unlock exclusive content on the featured da Vinci invention. 

?We look to go where consumers are and more are going mobile, so it is important to reach them in our marketing and digital promotions,? Ms. Bumann said. 

?We find in entertainment a significant number use their mobile devices simultaneously to engage with TV series and learn more about the show,? she said. ?We believe this is a great opportunity to drive interest, engagement and sharing with fans of the show to grow awareness within friends of fan networks, and creating buzz and quality referrals.

?This also helps build fan loyalty, interest and pass along.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York