• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 3, 2012

ACTV8.me, which powers second-screen interactivity synced with TV content, will launch apps linked with Fox shows such as “New Girl.” Fox has also taken an undisclosed stake in the company.

ACTV8.me also has an undetermined relationship with a Mark Burnett production entity and has been running an app linked with NBC show “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

The free Fox apps, which allow viewers to chat and answer trivia questions in real-time as a show airs, can be used on iPhones. In coming weeks, it will be usable on iPads and Android devices.

ACTV8.me CEO Brian Shuster stated that the focus was to nurture new, compelling interactive and social features "that enhance the overall television entertainment experience and ultimately grow audience viewership."

ACTV8.me is one of several entities, including Nielsen, trying to provide networks with systems allowing viewers to watch a show and interact with additional content (and other viewers) live on a second device. Networks can build engagement, as well as derive some ad revenue. An app for TBS’s “Conan” is sponsored by AT&T.

“The Celebrity Apprentice” app offers contests, including one to win a Buick Verano. Buick is one of the advertisers that ACTV8.me said would sponsor its platform for the show this season. Others include Crystal Light and Walgreens.

CEO Shuster added that there was an “overall goal of gamifying the second-screen experience."