Eight Apps to Enhance Your Big Game Experience (and Prove Men Can Multitask)

Like so many football fans, the Super Bowl can’t come soon enough for me. As a California native, I'm looking forward to enjoying the game with family and friends (cheering on the 49ers, of course) and watching those highly anticipated commercials. Despite all of that goodness, another reason I'm excited for Sunday is to once and for all prove to my wife that I can actually multitask. My wife is a firm believer that men (me, in particular) are not good multitaskers. Sound familiar?

How do I plan to accomplish this feat? By using my second screen (in my case, an iPad) to download apps to enhance my watching experience. I’ll watch the game live on our big screen while simultaneously using apps to check real time stats, comment on the game via Twitter and Facebook, and live chat about highlights with my brother who lives on the East coast. If that isn't multi-taking, I don’t know what is!

And I’m not the only person experiencing the game this way. According to Super Bowl advertiser Century 21, 36 percent of those who plan to watch indicate that they will use media devices other than their television to supplement the viewing experience. This is part of a growing trend. As reported in Adweek, CBS estimates that ad revenue from second-screen features will bring in approximately $12 million compared to NBC, who brought in only $2 million for last year’s Big Game. This is actually consistent with the findings in our FiOS Innovation Index, which shows consumers are looking for more interaction with TV programming and ads.

So, for those looking to enhance their Big Game experience on a second screen, the following is a list of eight great apps:

1. Super Bowl XLVII Guide: This app is your all-inclusive guide: where to eat, where to get your dance on, and other points of interest around New Orleans. Even if you’re not in the Big Easy on Sunday, this app will keep you updated on all the buzz, with notifications sent straight to your smartphone. And it’s free on iTunes and free for Android.

2. The Baltimore Ravens Mobile app is free and available for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry. It offers real-time news and stats, on-demand videos, photo galleries, and player interviews. The app also lets users follow post-game blogs and pre-game previews.
3. The San Francisco 49ers Gameday Live app is free and available on iOS, Android, and BlackBerry. Much like the Ravens Mobile app, it's for fans who want news, videos, stats, scores, and audio streams.
4. The TOK Football app is for those who aren't going to any parties, but still want to talk game with friends. This app is free and available on iPad. TOK Football lets users voice chat with up to four friends while watching the game. Real-time stats and game information are also updated on the app.
5. BigOven has its own “Big Game Menu” plus over 250,000 recipes
6. Epicurious is one of the best recipe apps available. Once you pick out what you want to make, it makes a shopping list to use at the store.
7. OnSports is the perfect companion app for sports fans. It’s almost entirely user-driven, allowing you to create your own game reports, predictions and polls, and comment on what others are posting.
8. Super Ads: All Super Bowl Commercials. Super Ads features over 200 commercials, including new ads, commercials from 2006-2012, and all-time popular ads spanning the last four decades.