Late last year, Microsoft filed for a patent that allows for an Xbox 360-like achievements system for watching TV. Examples given for this were an achievement for watching a single event like the Super Bowl or for watching an entire series of a single show.
“Television viewing tends to be a passive experience for a viewer, without many opportunities for the viewer to engage or have interactive experiences with the presented content. To increase interactive viewing and encourage a user to watch one or more particular items of video content, awards and achievements may be tied to those items of video content,” the application states. “Additionally, by tying the awards and achievements to particular items of video or advertising content, viewers may be encouraged to increase their viewership of the content, thus increasing advertising opportunities,” according to the application.”
The Kinect is also mentioned as a possibility in the patent, granting achievements to viewers for performing specific actions while they watch a show, like merely being present or holding up a specific product. Rewards for participating in this could inclue points for a GamerScore-like tally that is viewable by other users, new clothes and props for an avatar, virtual money for a game, and possibly even physical rewards.
