Tvtag’s life as the successor brand to GetGlue will be a short one. The social TV app will shut down at the start of the new year, i.TV confirmed.

“Later this month, we will be shutting down tvtag and its supporting apps in order to refocus our efforts on other initiatives,” tvtag told users via an email message Friday (December 19) that was first spotted by GigaOm. “Effective January 1, tvtag.com will no longer be accessible and the tvtag mobile apps will cease to function.”

The shutdown “is a clarifying step to focus our efforts behind i.TV initiatives that will become public early next year,” i.TV CEO Brad Pelo said in an emailed statement.“We’re grateful for our association with the GetGlue community as they became tvtag under our ownership. We have learned and benefitted greatly from our year together. One indicator of that benefit is that many of the GetGlue team members remain at i.TV and the bulk of our work force has shifted to New York City.”

The decision to shut down tvtag, an app/service that competes with companies such as Viggle, comes about 11 months after i.TV announced the tvtag brand, which resulted in the retirement of the GetGlue brand. i.TV announced its acquisition of GetGlue in November 2013. Viggle had earlier tried and failed to merge with GetGlue.

Following the deal, tvtag aggregated the i.TV second screen audiences from GetGlue, DirecTV and Nintendo (via the Nintendo TVii feature that’s baked into the Wii U console and Wii U GamePad). At the time, i.TV said the move would give tvtag a total reach of about 10 million users. As of December 20, the tvtag website claims that more than 15 million people “use i.TV technology to discover, watch and engage with television.”

The tvtag app let users “tag” moments during TV shows and sporting events with comments, doodles and memes. Tvtag also kept some of the GetGlue features in place by letting usres “check in” to a show and unlock digital stickers. “Tvtag is to Twitter what Instagram is to mobile messaging,” Pelo said when tvtag was introduced.

Ahead of the shutdown, i.TV told tvtag users that they can request a copy of their data by emailing their user names to datarequest@tvtag.com.

Viggle, the second-screen specialist that rewards users for watching TV shows, has hooked up with HGTV on an exclusive marketing partnership built around the network’s primetime programming lineup. 

The program will be supported across Viggle’s platforms, including its free mobile app, at Wetpaint.com, and the Viggle Reminders service.

Under the loyalty/engagement component of the program, Viggle users will get 4x the number of points for checking into any primetime HGTV shows (from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT) via the Viggle app. Fans can redeem those points to earn “top fan status” and receive exclusive HGTV prizes and rewards from Viggle, the companies said.

HGTV will also have access to Viggle’s publisher tools and social distribution technology. , including one-click reminders and set-DVR functionality across its marketing channels, and have the ability to add Viggle Point earning capability across its own channels. HGTV will also have access to check-in data to help it optimize its Viggle-based viewership loyalty campaigns.

The 15-month partnership kicks off in this month.

“We’re thrilled to partner with one of the leading cable networks to offer engaging experiences and rewards for their top viewers,” said Greg Consiglio, president and COO of Viggle, in a statement. “We are constantly seeking innovative ways to make the TV experience more engaging and rewarding and this partnership exemplifies those goals on several levels. HGTV’s content is perfectly aligned for us to create unique promotions across the Viggle platform and our newly announced publisher tools will help fans of these shows to never miss an episode.”

“By engaging with our targeted audience across multiple platforms, we are able to obtain key insights about our viewers beyond demographics,” added Shannon Driver, SVP of marketing and creative at Scripps Interactive. “The Viggle platform offers innovative loyalty solutions with targeting, reaching our core audience on their mobile devices while they watch TV, and we are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to our viewers.”

Viggle said its platform had a total reach of 26.2 million as of September 2014, including more than 7 million Viggle registered users. Viggle members have redeemed over $20 million in rewards for watching their favorite TV programs, the company said. 

Viggle, maker of second-screen apps that reward users for watching TV and listening to music, is expanding its device horizons by launching a version of its platform for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.

Under a strategic alliance with Microsoft, Viggle will tap Microsoft Azure for the app’s cloud-based infrastructure and delivery to Windows 8-powered devices.

The new Windows-optimized Viggle app will provide the same functionality as the app it already offers on iOS and  Android devices, the company said.

“We are making the experience available to some users for the first time with the Viggle app for Windows and will be working with Microsoft to utilize their cloud services platform Microsoft Azure. We expect to continue to expand our relationship over time,” said Viggle president and COO Greg Consiglio, in a statement.

Viggle’s app recognizes and identifies shows and music, and allows users to “check in” and qualify for points that can be redeemed for coupons, dining offers, gift cards and other rewards from partners such as Papa John’s, Best Buy, and Fandango.

Viggle said it’s mobile app now has more than 4 million users and that its customers have redeemed nearly $19 million in rewards so far.