Tag Archives: Social TV
KIT digital’s Social Program Guide Shortlisted for the CSI Awards
We are proud to announce that KIT digital’s Social Program Guide (SPG) has been shortlisted for the CSI Awards in the Best Social TV technology, service or application category. The SPG is a white label, second screen solution for network operators that is essentially a mash-up of the remote control and the electronic program guide, with an overlay of social functionality to aid in the discovery process. This allows viewers to enjoy a full range of social TV functions, as well as change the channel, all through a single intuitive interface. Served through KIT digital’s Cosmos Video Platform, the SPG also boasts support for cloud-based DVR functionality, seamless VOD store integration, and multiple e-commerce models and ad serving for advanced content monetization. The SPG was introduced to critical acclaim at this year’s National Association of Broadcasters show. We are especially pleased to be shortlisted this year as it marks the 10th anniversary of the CSI awards which were first launched … Continue reading
The Nielsen Myth
This originally ran on Digiday and was picked up by IPTV News. Co-authored with KIT COO Alex Blum TV is a hugely successful $60 billion industry. It’s also built on a jury-rigged measurement system that’s a bit of a joke and needs to be replaced for the potential of the modern media world to be fully realized. Nielsen ratings have admittedly come a long way from handwritten diaries, but they’ve still become antiquated as our viewing experience shifts from broadcast television to over-the-top services like Netflix and Hulu. This sea change of Internet meshing with TV presents a golden opportunity for anyone with the smarts to step up and figure out a better way to mine the resulting avalanche of consumer-engagement data that is now becoming available. Nielsen guesstimates shouldn’t be OK anymore. With IPTV, it’s possible to track exactly how many people are watching any given show and where and when they are watching it, and it can break … Continue reading
Was the 2012 Super Bowl a Social TV Success?
As we predicted, the 2012 Super Bowl proved to be one of the biggest social TV events of the year. However, it could have been far more impressive if brands had done a better job connecting their commercials with their social media campaigns. Research group Altimeter was disappointed by the fact that 32% of advertisements didn’t include references to brand websites or social media sites. There were also some campaigns that required viewers to spend too much time thinking about how to navigate through processes to activate perks. According to ReadWriteWeb, “…only six ads used hashtags in lieu of a Website or social media site, but those ads were notable because they did not ask viewers to like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. Instead, they asked for viewer interaction.” The entertainment check-in service GetGlue claims there were over 160K Super Bowl check-ins on their service alone, which went up 700% compared to the 2011 Super Bowl. Lora … Continue reading
Super Bowl with a Second Screen
The rapid adoption of viewing live TV in tandem with a “second screen” device is bound to make the 2012 Super Bowl the biggest social TV events of the year. As a matter of fact, every major Super Bowl commercial has a social TV component. We think this is the right approach: 30-second commercial slots can’t stand alone, and advertising campaigns should go social. Music app Shazam is making all the right moves for the Super Bowl. They made headlines last year upon the launch of Shazam for TV. This year, they will power nearly a third of all Super Bowl advertisements. With over 175 million users (60 million in the U.S,) Shazam is considered one of the driving forces behind second screen interactive television. TV check-in service GetGlue, in comparison, is 2 million strong. Shazam, along with other major media companies, is relying on viewers to use their phones to interact with commercials for more than catching up with the … Continue reading
The Social EPG Is The Social TV Of Tomorrow
While social TV apps continue to crop up like proverbial weeds, the future of the social TV app will likely be a proprietary social EPG (electronic program guide) provided by the same company that supplies your pay TV service. It will likely come with a companion tablet device too, one your pay TV provider gives you for a low monthly fee, much in the same way they now provide set top boxes. Multiple tablets will mean multiple fees, but most households will want at least one for every adult or teenage member. This model is the obvious next step for an industry that’s waiting and watching as the current wave of app developers figure out the rules of the game. They’re helping to figure out the ideal user experience and which behaviors (e.g. check-in, chat, recommendations) viewers are most interested in. And they’re doing it all on their VC’s dime as the big industry players just sit back and take … Continue reading
2012 CES Marked Beginning of a New Era in Video
KIT Digital was proud to be in the midst of over 150K attendees at the 2012 CES, because of all the buzz surrounding Social TV, connected devices, and video news. These innovations are sure to dominate tech headlines in a matter of weeks. The highlights we were looking forward to, such as the OLED and 3D TVs, turned out to be amongst the major hits of CES. Two models of OLED TV’s, from LG and Samsung were on display, and sparked interest because they don’t require a backlight- which results in a thin frame, and a superior color palette. Let’s not forget the mention of quicker response times, and wider angles for viewing! We covered additional innovations in TV user experiences here. Many also agreed with our mention of developers wowing the world with their innovations in convergence of mobile devices. An increasing number of viewers watch television with a laptop, tablet, or a mobile device either with them, or … Continue reading
Interest in Connected Devices Soars Worldwide
From smartphones to tablets, and now Smart TVs- we at KIT digital understand and cater to the needs of users by adding video to any device that lets us. The increasing demand itself is fascinating – in the case of Samsung Apps alone, average daily downloads hit 50,000 worldwide, and will likely hit 20 million downloads by the end of January, 2012. According to BroadCom, not only are smartphone sales growing faster than standard mobile phones, but there are 4 billion smartphones currently in use. Video represents 50% of all mobile traffic, and is expected to quickly shoot to 90%. Alan Murray, Executive Editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, claims that the average American watches 5 hours of video a day, which started with cable, then shifted to computers, and is now migrating to mobile devices. In this age of connectivity, developers, and manufacturers such as PrimeSense are also seeking additional ways to build Natural Interaction into consumer electronic … Continue reading
Developers Impress at 2012 CES with Innovations in Convergence
Tablets were the rage at the 2011 CES, which led to developers scurrying on to develop the next big thing for the ever-growing tablet segment. This year, the convergence of mobile devices with TV is clearly one of the most predominant themes. We are keeping tabs on this trend, as we consistently seek ways to add to our Connected Device Framework. One of the biggest surprises was Linux entering the TV market with Ubuntu TV. The controls are touch, and gesture based, and smartphones can be used as a remote as well. In addition to intelligent search, and streaming capabilities, Ubuntus cloud will be built into their new TV. This means users can enjoy the programs that are stored on other devices. Developers are very well aware of how smartphones are changing the way users consume information, and their tweaks on mobile operating systems are significantly changing how that content is delivered. For example, Myriads launch of Alien Vue (Android … Continue reading
Innovations in TV User Experience Dominate CES Buzz
The complexities that come with most standard remote controls are unnecessary, and ridiculously outdated. Think about it: how many buttons does your TV remote have? Better yet, how many remotes are you using in the first place? The launch of Xbox Kinect (which allows users to control their TV using gesture and voice), along with rumors circulating that Apple will bring Siri to an Apple TV have dominated the discussion to date. But others are getting in on the action. Lenovo is demonstrating some serious innovation with their K91 Smart TV, running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This is on show at CES 2012 and we’ll be watching carefully to see whether this could be a future device to integrate into our Connected Device Framework. The other interesting thing about the K91 is that in another sign of the growing importance of Asian markets to consumer electronics manufacturers, the Lenovo TV will launch in China. Much has changed in the … Continue reading
CES Highlights We Are Looking Forward To
CES 2012 opens today in Las Vegas. Here are four things we’re excited to see which aim to take the in-home TV experience to levels never seen before. This is only good news for KIT, as we’re working with many of the worlds biggest media companies helping them to transform living rooms all over the world: LG 84” 4K 3D TV- These beauties will offer close to 4 times the resolution of traditional 1080p, which would make your visual experience at home far more closer to the likes of cinema quality. The resolution will be 3,840 x 2,160. And oh yes, there will also be the updated Magic Motion Remote Control, which includes voice recognition, gestures, and a scroll wheel. World’s Largest OLED TV- Techies will rejoice seeing a teaser of this LG 4-mm thick panel at CES, which boasts having “the most natural colors of any TV set” at a “much lower price point” in comparison to other OLEDs … Continue reading
Samsung Challenge Finalists: Breaking Multimedia Ground
We are tipping that the buzz around Connected TV’s will reach fever-pitch at CES this year, with media companies and device manufacturers scrambling to offer TV services directly on these ever-popular new TV’s. Samsung has put it’s money where it’s mouth is and has expanded their focus to multimedia apps, with the Samsung Free The TV Challenge. The company is awarding $225,000 in cash and prizes to winning developers for innovative multimedia apps. The challenge is now in its second year, and the finalists are truly breaking multimedia ground! The winner will be announced at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The press release states that the finalists, in alphabetical order, are: FREQSHO – music fans can create their own music channel to stream music from any artist using a smartphone, tablet or TV. An easy-to-use search engine helps users quickly find their favorite artists and social connectivity allows them to follow the latest artist information and tweets in real-time. … Continue reading
Social Television Isn’t Necessarily Social
The term “social TV” has been thrown around a lot these days to describe any and all second screen experiences created around television shows. But it’s well worth noting that many of these apps and features have nothing inherently “social” about them: they are information sources that viewers may choose to share on social networks, but that is not the primary function. I’m talking about apps that provide statistics during football games or episode guides during dramas and cast bios during reality shows. That type of functionality is going to be more valuable to many viewers than something that allows them to have conversations during the show. It’s well suited for family viewing– only 31% of Americans watch TV alone – where we are more likely to share whatever we’ve learned with the other people in the room (as opposed to say, the entire Twitterverse.) It is also key insofar as creating any kind of buzz: the more content you … Continue reading
The Yin and Yang of the TV/Internet convergence
The industry has been buzzing about this insightful analysis from our own Social Strategy Director Alan Wolk The Ying and Yang of the TV/Internet Convergence View more presentations from Alan Wolk
This is the first in a weekly series of updates on the rapidly changing world of social TV. View the Slideshare full screen to access the links. Social TV Update #1
The Obligatory Post-F8 Post: They’re Doing It For The Kids
WHAT’S IMPORTANT: The new features are too advanced to be readily adopted by the Boomer demographic that dominates Facebook. But they’re innovative enough to make Facebook relevant again for their kids. FEATURE-BY-FEATURE: Music Sharing: Not as seamless as you might think: Facebook’s pitch to Spotify, Rdio et al is that they’ll get them more paid subscribers (for which they will likely get some sort of commission.) That means that users actually have to download the app their friend is listening to and have it open. While Facebook prompts for this, it’s a hassle, and the whole notion of synchronized listening that Zuck was going on about in his keynote is bunk: songs start playing at the beginning, not at the point where your friend is. Or was, as the case may be, since if you can find it on someone’s news feed, you can listen to it. Nonetheless, this is going to be a very appealing feature for high school … Continue reading
The Value Of A Check-In
The other day I went into Modell’s, a local sporting goods chain, and saved myself $10 because I’d checked-in on FourSquare. It’s a great deal (you save $10 on any purchase over $40) that I’ve already taken advantage of several times. And while I don’t mind letting people know I’m at Modell’s, I would never have bothered to check-in without the discount. Because even if I was hyper-competitive about the gaming aspects of FourSquare, I’m never going to be mayor of a store I visit about four or five times a year. So what’s in it for me? Ten bucks. I got to wondering at what price point I would have decided that checking-in wasn’t worth the hassle. (And it’s still a hassle: GPS isn’t all that fine-tuned in places like New York, where any given block may have 30 different places to check-in, and it’s a crap shoot whether the place you’re at shows up at the top … Continue reading