Yahoo! Unveils Connected TV Initiative with Major Partnerships and Widget Engine

Strategic Insights -

Yahoo!'s Connected TV group announced a new generation of technology and services for Internet-connected televisions, forging partnerships with top consumer electronics manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics, and VIZIO. The collaborative effort aims to bring the best of the Web to a broad range of living room devices, enabling the discovery and enjoyment of the Cinematic Internet via a new class of interactive applications called TV Widgets. Powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, these devices will allow popular Internet services and online media to reach viewers with applications specifically tailored to the needs of the television watcher.

Key Takeaways:

  • Yahoo! has formed partnerships with Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics, and VIZIO to launch a widget-based user experience for TV, bringing the best of the Web to a broad range of living room devices.
  • The Yahoo! Widget Engine, based on the popular Konfabulator widget platform for PC, has been re-engineered specifically for consumer electronics devices.
  • TV Widgets enable popular Internet services and online media to reach viewers with applications specifically tailored to the needs of the television watcher.
  • The Widget Channel API allows developers to create TV Widgets that leverage a rich set of programming interfaces.
  • The Widget Development Kit (WDK) enables developers to create TV Widgets and reach millions of consumers, fostering the creation of a connected TV ecosystem.
  • Well-known content providers like eBay, MySpace, CBS, The New York Times, Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, Showtime, USA TODAY, and Twitter are already developing and planning to deploy TV Widgets.
  • The availability of the WDK and the Yahoo! Widget Engine, along with the distribution partnerships and developer relationships, forms a strong foundation for the next generation of Internet-connected TVs.

Statistics:

  • The TV Widget user experience will be available in a variety of products, including Internet-connected television sets manufactured by partners like Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics, and VIZIO.
  • By working with top consumer electronics manufacturers, Yahoo! will bring the exciting content developed by Yahoo! and third-party developers to millions of television sets in multiple countries in 2009.
  • The number of developers expected to create TV Widgets is not specified.

Sources:

  • Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. [1]
  • Yahoo!'s Connected TV group has formed partnerships with major consumer electronics manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics, and VIZIO. [2]
  • The Yahoo! Widget Engine is based on the popular Konfabulator widget platform for PC, which has been re-engineered specifically for consumer electronics devices. [3]
  • The Widget Development Kit (WDK) enables developers to create TV Widgets and reach millions of consumers, fostering the creation of a connected TV ecosystem. [4]
  • Well-known content providers like eBay, MySpace, CBS, The New York Times, Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, Showtime, USA TODAY, and Twitter are already developing and planning to deploy TV Widgets. [5]

[1] Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO). Pressroom. (n.d.). About Yahoo! Retrieved from

[2] Yahoo!'s Connected TV group. (n.d.). Press Release. Retrieved from

[3] Yahoo!'s Connected TV group. (n.d.). Widget Development Kit. Retrieved from

[4] Intel Corporation. (n.d.). Intel. Retrieved from

[5] Various sources, including quotes from Accedo, Blockbuster, CBS, CinemaNow, eBay, MySpace, Netflix, Rhapsody, Showtime, Twitter, and USA TODAY.