Yahoo prepares newest version of Connected TV platform

In November 2010, Yahoo announced that an expansion of their Connected TV program would allow developers to build fee-based widgets for TVs that use the Yahoo application platform. Unfortunately, Yahoo’s online widget application store has had a delay in opening the store to consumers. Originally scheduled to open early this month, Yahoo is working hard to keep their promise to consumers.

Yahoo is continuing its progress to distribute their updated version of the Connected TV platform. This update will include software for the Connected TV store, available to select OEM partners, hopefully by the end of March.

CONNECTIONS addresses potential of new 3D and connected TV enhancements

The percentage of U.S. broadband households purchasing CE continues to decline year over year, falling from 87% in 2007 to 76% in 2009.

Already over one-half of households are spending less on CE in 2010 than they did the year before. The recession has deeply affected consumer spending, but several product categories have defied the downward trend. Industries can develop new revenue streams by building off of these devices, such as Web-based apps or 3D programming for connected LCD TVs or support services bundled with a new computer purchase.

CONNECTIONS™ will feature multiple sessions in the Consumer Electronics track discussing the state of the market and business strategies to leverage these devices:

· Design Elements for Connected CE
· Monetizing Connected CE
· The Future of the Set-top Box
· 3DTV

The panels will feature speakers from 2Wire, Actiontec Electronics, ActiveVideo Networks, Allegro Software Development Corporation, BigBand Networks, BridgeCo, Cisco Systems, Gigle Networks, Motorola, Orange/France Telecom Group, PacketVideo, ProVision, RedMere, Roxio CinemaNow, Technicolor, Xpand, Yahoo!, and Zenverge.

CONNECTIONS™ will also feature the keynote presentation “TV Technology in the New Age of Consumer Buying,” from Scott Birnbaum, Vice President, Samsung LCD Business, on June 9 at 10:00 a.m.

55% of TVs to Be Internet-Connected by 2013

In a recent study, the internet surpassed TV as the “most essential” medium.

By 2013, 55% of all TV models shipped by manufacturers will have a built-in web connection, says Steve Koenig, director of the Consumer Electronics Association.

The internet-connected TVs will not require separate boxes, software or setup. Only 18% of TVs shipped from manufacturers have built-in web connections today.

Partnerships have been developed...Google is in a partnership with Sony and Intel to make televisions act more like PCs, allowing users to access any site they want. In addition, Intel is working with some of the big names in the industry to get its processors into internet-connected TVs. Samsung is working on its own applications platform. Yahoo has built a user interface for internet TV that displays widgets for weather, news, shopping and social networking which run across the bottom of the screen.

Read the full article here.

Smartphones, Mobile Services, 3D TV, and Smart Grid are key topics at CONNECTIONS™ SUMMIT at CES

Parks Associates announced the speakers for the CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES in Las Vegas, January 7, on the first day of the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Over thirty speakers will participate in sessions moderated by Parks Associates analysts and featuring consumer and industry research on smartphones, mobile services, 3D TV, and smart grid technologies. Session topics also include business strategies for service providers, status of energy management deployment and adoption, and the changing CE purchase patterns for consumers, featuring research from Parks Associates’ Consumer Decision Process (CDP) service.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit will feature the current CDP findings, which support the latest Black Friday numbers - purchase intentions are up slightly from last year, although consumers are still cautious. Certain product categories will have a better 2010 than others. Intentions to purchase a game console have plunged since 2008, while mobile phones and digital camcorders have surged, benefiting from new models like smartphones and the Flip Video camcorder.

Summit Sessions:

- Consumer Electronics Purchases: Are Consumers Back in the Buying Mood?
- The Connected TV – Displays and Beyond
- Service Provider Strategies for the Connected Home
- The Mobile Aspect of Unified Infotainment: Opportunities and Challenges
- Advances in Television Advertising
- Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home
- 3D: Adding New Dimensions to Entertainment

Speakers:
- Timo Bauer, SVP & GM Americas, NewBay Software
- Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, Chairman, UMTS Forum, Orange
- Tom Carroux, Director, Sales and Market Development, Irdeto
- Susan Cashen, VP, Control4 Energy Systems
- Steve Cashman, CSO, Exceptional Innovation
- Brian Chamberlin, Manager, Interactive Projects, NDS
- Chris Deutschen, Senior Mgr, Innovation & Sales, Direct Energy
- Jaime Fink, CTO, 2Wire
- Hope Fulgham, CEO/CMO, Piazza Advertising
- Benoit Joly , Director, Connected Home Applications, Thomson
- Ted May, VP, Strategy & Business Affairs, Synacor
- Arlo Rose, Senior Dir., Product Design, Connected TV, Yahoo!
- Scott Rosenberg, VP, Advanced Advertising, Rovi Advertising
- David Sandford, VP, Marketing & Product Management, TiVo
- Rick Schwartz, Senior Product Manager, PacketVideo
- Simon Tidnam, VP, Sales & Marketing, HDlogix
- Paul Woidke, SVP and GM, Advanced Advertising, OpenTV

Parks Associates Moderators:
- Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research
- Jayant Dasari, Analyst
- Tricia Parks, CEO
- Kurt Scherf, VP, Principal Analyst
- Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates
- Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research
- Heather Way, Analyst

Parks Associates will host a Networking Reception following the Summit. Event sponsors include Irdeto, Eyecon Technologies, and Premier Sponsors ActiveVideo Networks, PacketVideo, and RedMere. For information, visit www.connectionssummit.com or register at www.cesweb.org.

Opening sessions feature TiVo, YouTube, Cisco, IBM, Yahoo!, VIZIO, AnySource

CONNECTIONS™ to address business strategies for Premium Web Video Content and Connected TV --

Parks Associates announced the speakers for two key sessions, The Marriage of Online Video to CE and Connected TV Strategies, at CONNECTIONS™, June 2-4, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. These sessions address the impact of bringing Web video content to connected TVs and the new business models emerging from manufacturers and content providers as more CE gain enhanced Internet capabilities.

The Marriage of Online Video to CE takes place Tuesday, June 2, 5:15 p.m., following the opening keynote Embedding Wireless in Consumer Electronics, by Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Devices and Resale, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

Speakers for this session:
>> Jim Denney, VP, Product Marketing, TiVo Inc.
>> Brent Hurley, Strategic Partner Development Manager, YouTube
>> Ken Wirt, VP, Consumer Marketing, Cisco Systems

Connected TV Strategies takes place Wednesday, June 3, 9 a.m. It addresses business plans, new revenues models, and marketing strategies for CE manufacturers selling advanced televisions. Following this session, Joseph Ambeault, Director, Product Development and Management, Video Services, Verizon, will present the morning keynote.

Speakers for this session:
>> Bruce Anderson, GM, IBM
>> Mike Harris, CEO, AnySource
>> Matthew McRae, VP, GM, Advanced Platforms, VIZIO
>> Russ Schafer, Sr. Director, Product Marketing, Connected TV, Yahoo!

Parks Associates forecasts that by 2013, worldwide annual sales of connected CE will exceed 100 million units, while cable and IPTV VoD service revenues will reach $11 billion.

To view the full press release, click here.

Yahoo!, VIZIO, AnySource to discuss Connected TV Strategies

The Connected TV Strategy panel at CONNECTIONS™ features Mike Harris, CEO, AnySource; Matthew McRae, Vice President, General Manager of Advanced Platforms, VIZIO; and Russ Schafer, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Connected TV, Yahoo!

Their session on Wednesday, June 3, will examine the television’s role as a multimedia access platform. The role of the television in the home will expand as more sets come with Internet connections, which link these devices to online content sources. This opportunity prompts questions on how consumer electronics manufacturers will build scale, create new revenue models, and market and sell advanced televisions.

Hot Topic for CONNECTIONS™ 2009: Widgets on the TV

CONNECTIONS™ has followed developments in interactive and digital entertainment for several years, and at each event, we highlight the new television features the industry is offering to consumers. This year CONNECTIONS™ will feature multiple sessions on the key TV 2.0 applications generating market attention – and widgets (and, more broadly, customization and Web-based applications) will be a key point of interest in 2009.

Parks Associates, the host of CONNECTIONS™, recently completed TV 2.0: The Consumer Perspective, a study examining, among other things, consumer attitudes toward new television services. The study, which will figure prominently in several upcoming CONNECTIONS™ sessions, finds that a fair number of consumers are interested in the ability to have Internet-like experiences on their televisions. Twenty percent of U.S. adults in broadband households express a strong interest in having widgets on their TVs. These widgets would allow them to customize on-screen tickers to display information such as news, sports, weather, and traffic. In addition, 23% want media-sharing capability on their TVs (for example, the ability to view pictures from a photo-sharing site).

Consumers also want to interact with one another via their TVs. Again, TV 2.0: The Consumer Perspective finds 14% of consumers are interested in the ability to chat with other people viewing the same program (25% of 18-24 year olds) and 13% like the ability to recommend (and receive recommendations) about programs (22% of 18-24 year olds).

Needless to say, bringing Internet features to the TV is a gamble, as Microsoft, Apple, Sony, and many others will attest. However, the idea has merit and can be successful with consumers if the provider offers the right features. Yahoo! and Intel are moving in the right general direction, and many similar products will be unveiled in the near future. At CONNECTIONS™, we will drill down further into this topic, but at the outset, companies contemplating such products and services must keep a few things in mind if they are to have a winning strategy:

1. New services must be very simple to set up and use
2. Every service/function must have a distinct purpose that makes the lives of customers easier
3. The company (or companies) behind the launch must have a solid business model to accompany every new service

At CONNECTIONS™, we will look further into widgets and other TV 2.0 topics – and you will be able to see what other companies are planning in this space!

Is your company planning or about to launch a new TV 2.0 feature? Sponsor CONNECTIONS™, and you can show your new offering at the CONNECTIONS™ Showcase.

Yahoo to Carry CBS TV Shows

Yahoo is the latest distribution partner for CBS Interative, according to this press release from yesterday. The CBS content will be added to Yahoo!'s programming lineup which also includes programming from NBC, Fox and more than 15 cable networks. Yahoo joins the CBS Audience Network, where partners such as AOL, Veoh Networks, Joost, Comcast's Fancast, and YouTube, among others.

It's going to be interesting to see how the difering strategies of CBS and NBC-Universal eventually play themselves out. NBC has decided to be more stingy with its content, pulling its content from the Apple iTunes store and setting up Hulu with Fox.

I'm looking forward to talking about CBS' online strategies (among other topics) with George Schweitzer, President of the CBS Marketing Group, at our upcoming CONNECTIONS(TM) conference. Mr. Schweitzer will be participating on a plenary panel titled Hollywood's Net-Net: Lessons from the Digital Age. This panel will take on June 26th at 9:00 AM. During a panel discussion with Mr. Schweitzer, we're going to look at the lessons learned about digital distribution. We'll also look forward, specifically with regard to digital distribution, the complexities of licensing, the role of user-generated content, and new business models.

Blog Written by Kurt Scherf