Are Web-connected TVs going to
cause problems for broadcasters?
The first TVs fitted with Yahoo-Intel�s widget engine have begun to ship in Europe amid speculation about their potentially disruptive impact on the TV landscape.
On the one hand web-enabled TVs retailing over �1000 (US $1600) are unlikely to attract a mass market, outside early adopters, given that over the past 18 months the industry has made a pretty successful attempt to encourage people to upgrade to flat-screen HD screens as digital switchover gathers pace.
Yet the no-fuss plug and play internet access that widgets provide, albeit in limited �walled garden� form, will give broadcasters and platform owners pause for thought.
�It�s not a slam-dunk competitor but a development that chips away at the edges of the pay-TV business,� says Nigel Walley, managing director of media strategists Decipher. �Pulling up a widget on the Samsung TV pushes the broadcaster�s EPG to one side, potentially delivering on-demand content outside its control. Widgets will raise the appetite among consumers to use the main screen for more activity, putting pressure on STB manufacturers to raise their game.�
Samsung TV was first to launch in April with a six-month exclusive deal to market Yahoo TV Widgets software in its Internet@TV branded displays. Yahoo's UK channels include widgets for news and sports reports, Flickr and, as of mid-July, YouTube.
Labels: Video, Web
posted by John Farrell at 9:59 AM
