CES 2012: Yahoo! Connected TV Delivers Broadcast Interactivity Experience, New TV Apps

written by: Richard Kastelein

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Published on Friday, 13 January 2012 15:18

Yahoo!, the premier digital media company, today announced the newest line-up of consumer and advertiser offerings from the 2011 Primetime Emmy(R) Engineering Plaque Award-winning Yahoo! Connected TV platform. Yahoo!'s unique broadcast interactivity technology, which delivers real-time Internet content to complement the TV show or advertisement being watched, becomes available on Sony BRAVIA(R) TVs at the 2012 International CES conference this week.

More than a million people engage with the Yahoo! Connected TV experience each month to access Internet and video content from a collection of more than 180 TV apps. New TV apps from top brands including ABC, AT&T Yellow Pages, Disney, ESPN, iHeart Radio by Clear Channel and The Wall Street Journal will be showcased this week at CES.

"It's clear that people are relying on apps across all of the screens in their lives, and we expect consumer usage of TV apps to rapidly increase as Internet-connected devices become mainstream in 2012," said Ron Jacoby, vice president, Yahoo! Connected TV. He continued, "Engagement with TV second-screen companion apps and interactive experiences, like broadcast interactivity, will also be on the rise as we move into a new era of content convergence in the living room. We're excited to extend the broadcast interactivity experience and mobile app device communication functionality to more TV manufacturers and other leading brands in 2012."

Immersive Broadcast Experiences for Sports, Shopping, Social TV and More

Engaging TV viewers with relevant and compelling content, Yahoo!'s broadcast interactivity can deliver interactive TV experiences including show trivia, voting, shopping, videos, photos, game show play, and more, alongside the show a person is watching. The feature leverages the patented SoundPrint(TM) technology developed by IntoNow(TM) from Yahoo!, which identifies the show being watched regardless of live, recorded, cable, broadcast, or satellite-based video.

For example:

• Viewers of live sporting events, such as Showtime(R) Boxing, can vote for the boxer they think will win the match, and view related information such as photos or videos.
• Consumers can use their TV remotes to purchase an item being highlighted on HSN, access real-time inventory data on products, and take advantage of specials of the day.
• In the first quarter of 2012, viewers will also be able to interact with TV programming by tagging their favorite shows for social, content and rewards-based experiences using IntoNow from Yahoo on their TV.

Second-Screen Experiences for Better TV Communication

At CES, Yahoo! will showcase device interactivity between Yahoo! Connected TV and iPad, iPhone and Android devices. The new Yahoo! Connected TV mobile apps will let people use their smartphones and tablets to more easily interact with TV apps. Features will include the ability to launch and interact with TV apps from the phone or tablet, TV video playback, and text-entry capabilities for posting updates and comments or making purchases.

Pioneering New Forms of Connected TV Advertising

Advertisers now have the ability to connect with their audience through custom display ads viewable inside Yahoo! Connected TV apps. Toyota, for example, kicked off an integrated, multi-screen campaign centered around Fantasy Football across Yahoo!, and became the first advertiser to have a display ad featured within a Yahoo! Connected TV app.

Yahoo!'s new broadcast interactivity feature also provides advertisers with an interactive TV ad experience, helping consumers take action on TV commercials by purchasing products, ordering samples, reading reviews, or viewing product information. Initial broadcast interactivity launch advertisers include Fidelity Investments, Ford and Sony. More information about Yahoo! Connected TV advertising opportunities is available here.