Major marketers are openly calling for agencies to move past TV spots. Even traditional television channels are marketing online, premiering content on Facebook before it’s airs on TV. Is all lost for the first screen? If not, who will make TV connected and love-able again?
Here’s a brief look at the competitive dynamics of Connected TV:
TV Manufacturers vs App Developers
Twenty-five percent of the HDTVs that ship worldwide this year will be capable of connecting to the Internet. And by 2013, those numbers will swell to sixty percent. While connected TV’s growth will be impressive, TV manufacturers will be challenged to create an apps ecosystem worthy of the iPhone. At the moment, there’s little incentive for developers to do so. And as a result, few apps are being built. Could Yahoo Connected TV be the manufacturer’s savor? Or will other open source initiatives like Boxee be in demand?
Boxee vs Traditional Cable TV
Currently just an app, Boxee is about to be the device that has millions saying “I’d cancel cable for that”. It could be a generational thing, but what if Boxee does go mainstream? As the internet did to print, Boxee could force cable’s walled garden to come crashing down. This subject caught fire at SXSW and will only spread when Boxee’s box is released in the coming months.
Game Consoles vs Set-Top-Boxes
One device that could outbox even Boxee is the game console. Almost 60% of U.S. homes own at least one. And Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all competing to position their devices not merely as a gaming machine for teenagers, but as a media portal for all ages. Gaming consoles could change the TV dynamic, but Apple and Google aren’t playing games anymore.
Apple TV vs Google TV
In February, Apple’s COO reiterated that Apple TV is still just a hobby. Perhaps Google’s more recent announcement – the development of TV search via an Android set-top box – will turn Apple’s hobby into a mechanism for war (one that’s getting increasingly personal). It will be interesting to see what becomes of Apple’s recent stealth TV patent.
Clearly there’s many battles to be fought before any device/app has its “iPod moment”. Until that time, one thing’s for sure: the competitive dynamics at play will soon create a TV that’s connected and love-able again.
Tv and marketing have been stricly interconnected during these last years. It’s quite interesting to notice how this media is re-newing itself by using social and internet technologies. Nice article, thanks