FOX has announced a new syndication network that will allow second screen TV apps including Shazam, Viggle, ConnecTV and Dijit’s NextGuide to link with its sync-to-broadcast content, currently accessible via FOX NOW apps. The network will also allow FOX to syndicate content to smart TVs and service providers interested in enhancing audience engagement. Additional partners are expected to be announced soon.

To help distribute its array of content, the FOX NOW apps will be made available to outside second screen TV app providers. The applications “will gain access to FOX’s social, behind-the-scenes and interactive content around FOX shows while synced to the broadcast,” reports Broadcasting & Cable.

“FOX has teamed up with a syndication platform called Watchwith,” notes Lost Remote. “The platform will allow FOX’s partners to take advantage of its content, enable a good user experience, and ensure advertisers delivery across multiple apps and platforms.”

“FOX’s focus on the creation of second-screen content as the shows are being produced is a really important step in the industry, and we’re proud to be one of FOX’s launch partners,” said Doug Garland, chief revenue officer at Shazam. “Given the significant reach of Shazam — 85 million users in the U.S. alone — we’re excited to partner with FOX to engage a wide audience with compelling second screen content.”

“FOX has some of the most loyal, invested fans on the planet, so we want them to have the richest, most immersive experience possible with our shows and our brand partners — no matter which TV app or platform they use,” said David Wertheimer, president, digital, FOX Broadcasting (and former CEO and executive director of ETC@USC). “By syndicating the content we’ve built around our show broadcasts, we’re extending the FOX experience to viewers across all digital platforms and providing our partners with new and valuable opportunities around our content.”