SNAPPER ROCKS, Gold Coast/Australia – In a world first for surfing, the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro’s presented by Land Rover have brought iPowow on-board to bring live interactive audience participation to surfing fans around the globe.

This year, iPowow will let spectators get even closer to the surfing action by allowing them to interact with the event, commentators, surfers and competition in real-time. They will be able to do this from the comfort of their homes or wherever they may be watching online or via a broadcaster in the “Quiksilver Crowds Call”.

During the event, viewers will be able to share their opinions on ‘who will win the heat’, put together a super-heat and even score rides throughout the event in real time via their smartphones, tablets and PC’s.

“The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro’s are the hallmark events of 2013 and we are very pleased to be working with Quiksilver to bring the latest second-screen technology to enhance the broadcast in this ‘first’ for surfing”, said Taras Didyk – Global Head of Product for iPowow.

“This is the perfect platform to accompany surfing. It creates compelling content between rides and enables viewers to participate and become engaged in the broadcast like never before,” added Didyk

The feedback is received and processed by iPowow’s secure network, which is able to handle more than a million responses per second, delivering instant feedback to the participants and viewers via the dynamically integrated broadcast graphics.

“The last two years we monitored the speed and impact of the surfers during their heats which was a world’s first in surfing and this years inclusion of iPowow will take it to the next level on the excitement scale,” said Jamie ”Chooka” Wood – Quiksilver’s Brand Alliance Manager.

“Thanks to Sanitarium through their brands Weet-Bix and Up & Go, who are hosting the “Quiksilver Crowds Call” online spectators from around the world will take part in another world’s first in surfing,” continued Wood.

iPowow is currently being used on a range of live global sport programs including ESPN’s SportsCenter in the US where the platform has received more than 2.5million votes in 3 minutes and by Cricket Australia where the iPowow platform has received more than 2million visits this season.

“We want our online audience to have fun, be involved and to get interactive with the live broadcast. That’s why we are super excited to be the worlds’ first surfing event with exclusive rights to use this technology,” added Wood.

The iPowow platform branded as the “Quiksilver Crowds Call” will be available via the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Webcast, or via crowdscall.com on Smartphones, tablets or PC’s from March 1, 2013.

Both the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro events are webcast live on QuiksilverLive.com, RoxyLive.com ,Youtube, Facebook and the Quiksilver iPhone app as well as exclusively telecast on Fuel TV.

All the action, interaction, heat alerts, competitions and the latest information head to QuiksilverLive.com or RoxyLive.com