The 2011 was an unbelievable year where many companies and star-ups fall into the market of interaction for TV though mobile Apps, interactive TV Framework for set-up box, TV transformed into digital HUB like as the SmartTV by Samsung and many others.
The first step of evolution of the market started from the device transformation but this is not the issue. The 2012 will be the final year where the TV market will be really transformed in his workflow model. This is the year where concept like as TV check-ins, TV rewards, Social influence TV tools, onAir conversation and many other concept will be find fertile land not only in the Audience side but in the TV content producer.
A short panorama of the market trends
This year the most explored side of “Interaction for TV” for sure was the opportunity of Show Check-in and Aggregation TV App though them generating Social Influence Sharing for drive audience to specific brand, shows or channel network.
First of all was Hot Potato, bought by Facebook and close 1 year ago. At the same time born and raise Miso App probably the most popular and know yet but not in the use for sure.
The biggest market innovation came always 1 year ago from a platform founded by MTV and GOOGLE called IntoNow and recently bought by Yahoo, which, though an audio recognition, detect which show are you watching on TV now and create opportunity connection between all the audience front the TV on the same time to be engage into conversation about the show and offer an “web aggregation” based the kind of event (ESPN show provide Data about the show).
Recently Shazam too, famous for music recognition, jump into the TV market too, offering Advertising recognition on TV for access to rewards programs and user engage.
The most interesting new venture come from a New York company located into the “start-up” area city (Flat Iron district) called Factor(X) Inc, which release this week after 6 months of hard work their app called Viggle.
Viggle rappresent the first one real step into what the TV market will be at the end of this year. Viggle offer the opportunity though audio recognition (like as IntoNow and Shazam) to access at a reward program with Viggle Partners (Starbucks, GAP, Fandango, Amazon and many other more…).
I consider this App a good sample and the right way because offer the opportunity of TV Show creator to build custom format able to integrate this service and engage the audience.
The Viggle App for iOS
An other interesting aspect of service provide Social Influence on TV market are the Aggregation tools / Apps. First of all in terms of diffusion are the embed framework of Samsung SmartTV and GoogleTV.
The transformation of the TV Device into a digital HUB / Content Aggregator where the audience are able to interact and build their channels list and use interactive service like as Pandora, Netflix or gaming for sure transform completely the type of experience.
The market of AggregationTV Apps and frameworks is huge, starting from Xbox, PS3, Boxee, NokeTV, Squrl, VHX, SquareEyes, Plizy, and more…
The TV UX issue and the future trend.
Maybe into the market of Interaction for TV a big problem remains. A basic consideration problem to finally merge in a good way the typical interaction capabilities of Computer based device and the classic TV.
The TV (I mean the screen device where play the videos) could be on the same time a single or a group device, where often 1 or more people sit over it, watch something together. The Sharing use of the device require 2 different Interaction Flow:
- TV to Audiece: This model is 1 to All, what show the TV screen have an effect to all the people
- Single Audience to TV. That the single users do is a relation 1 to 1 with the TV and don’t need to be effect into the other users.
The problem of the TV Hub Framework like as Samsung SmartTV, GoogleTV or XBOX have this problem because the audience can’t have single and different UX front on the TV.
The future of the TV Interactive Market will not pass though the Device Framework but though digital mobile service, but integrate with the TV ecosystem.
The Audience need to be able after a SHOW check-in (though selection or audio recognition) to connect the user with the show and enjoy the show interaction service, like as voting and survey, commenting live on Air, buy what the user see or listen on the screen, and more.
This is the TV goal since ’90 years but the problem was everybody thinking this need move though the tv device, then the solution is from the mobile devices around the screen.
Some based experiments about it was explore by ABC with the Grey Anatomy App and MyGeneration App.
The market business opportunities
The 2012 will be definitely be year of the big business opportunities for build interactive and digital service for TV industries. The mobile App and the platform designed for offer 1 to 1 interactive service between the TVShow and the Audience will be explode and will drive the digital agency in the next steps of Social Influence merging what learn in last years about Social network and Social Behaviors and the TV interaction.