Epic Playground has launched MediaGauge, the first real-time media insight delivery tool that allows site owners to send customized in-browser messages with specific targeted offers, invitations, surveys or branding communications during media playback. MediaGauge gives website owners a valuable new tool for driving deeper website engagement while also providing rich insights and statistics for nearly a dozen different online audio and video players.

MediaGauge is currently available on Epic Playground’s website. Additionally, a limited number of companies are now being accepted for a special pilot program which will roll out at SXSW 2013 in March.

“MediaGauge allows website owners to send custom in-browser messages to users while they are engaged with the media in addition to providing a powerful, yet easy-to-use dashboard which shows who’s consuming your media, when, how and for how long,” said Michael Sitarzewski, founder and CEO of Epic Playground, a 2012 TechStars Cloud company. He explained that messages do not interrupt the audio or video content, instead appearing much like the Mac OS X system notifications. Messages automatically dismiss after 25 seconds and can be interactive so users can click on them for more information. Number of messages sent, delivered and any interaction–-a click, a close, etc.-–are tallied and presented in the website owner’s dashboard in less than one minute, allowing the sender to measure any program’s effectiveness in real-time.

Messages-–including offers, invitations or simple branding messages-–can be customized for individual viewers. For example, an e-commerce site could send a coupon to all viewers of their videos, or a realtor could send targeted messages to viewers of a video showcasing a home for sale-–one version for local viewers, and another for viewers from other cities.

By simply embedding the code in any website, MediaGauge can provide analytics about the health and status of all a user’s media. Once installed, content creators can not only see exactly when and how their content is being consumed, but can also identify the geographic location of viewers and message them in real-time directly in their browser window. MediaGauge also works with mobile applications on both the iOS and Android platforms.

“Because you are able to message in real-time-–when your customer is actually engaged with your media-–you’re able to test messages in minutes rather than days as with typical online marketing campaigns,” Sitarzewski said.

In order to gain feedback from customers, Epic Playground is accepting a limited number of beta customers at no charge. Website owners interested in the SXSW pilot are asked to develop a test program in time for SXSW 2013, March 8-16, and product feedback is a requirement. Applications are being accepted throughout January. For more information or to apply as a beta company, contact Epic Playground at hello@epicplayground.com.

About Epic Playground

A 2012 TechStars Cloud program graduate, Epic Playground’s MediaGauge service provides insights into online engagement by engaging and measuring consumer response in real-time. Using real-time analytics for online media, site owners can send customized in-browser messages with specific targeted offers, invitations, surveys or branding communications. Epic Playground is based in Boulder, Colorado. For more information, please visit www.EpicPlayground.com.