While the rest of us have been over–fixating on the mobile web, iPhone, tablets, and the applications they all have, a huge boon has gone unnoticed. In fact, it’s a web-based product that I would call the best-kept secret in the industry.
What’s the impact of this new product? The growth this year alone is expected to be 94%, according to In-Stat. Oh yeah, and over a BILLION devices are expected to be in commission by 2015.
And no, it’s not a new Chinese market.
It’s called web-enabled TV. I’m sure you’ve heard about it, at least in passing—probably somewhere between Blu-Ray, LED improvements, and 3D on the TV features list.
Other In-Stat reports say that over 50% of consumer households prefer to rent movies using a digital rights locker-based online video service and that they prefer to get their TV shows and movies by subscription. In fact, 50% of electronic video files are already stored on a PC hard drive.
So we’ve got all these stats, but what do they mean? It means that convergence thing we’ve been talking about since the ’90s is coming from all directions. Basically, we’re changing the way we consume video content. We’re going from linear, TV-based viewing to Internet-style scanning, even when we sit in front of the tube. More and more, we’re watching what we want, when we want.
For TV programming, it’s a complete paradigm shift. While there still may be room for sitting down and watching whatever’s on, the purchase model will change. I mean, radio’s still around, even though the iPod and the web have made it possible to create your own radio station, be it streaming from the web, a podcast, or your own 15,000 song collection.
So that sounds like a lot. Hey, I used the word “paradigm,” for gosh sakes. That’s gotta be worth at least 47 cents, even with a promo code! But I’m not stopping there. I’m gonna take it up one more level. Because, for the web, I think it opens up a whole new world.
Wait! Before you poo-poo me, just think about how much mobile devices have affected the way people use the Internet. Where would location-based social networking, mobile video conferencing, and gaming be? Now imagine those same web-based apps on your TV. It’s like VH1’s Pop-Up Video on steroids.
So let’s look at TV as a medium. How is it different from the others?
It’s content-driven. The PC-based web experience is task-based. While we do visit YouTube and Hulu, it’s not always the main purpose. You check your bank balance, choose vacation packages, and buy useless stuff on eBay. And while you’re at it, you might watch a video or two. With TV, the goal is to watch stuff. That leaves room for a whole heck of a lotta marketing tie-ins, added information, and other additions. Think of the power of product placement when you can “learn more” on your TV. Don’t forget the extra room a 52-inch plasma provides.
It’s even more social than social networking. How often have you surfed on a Mac or PC with someone looking over your shoulder? With a big screen, you can watch with a whole group of people. Picture your last Super Bowl party; now picture voting on the commercials and seeing the results live. Tweet from a game-watching party, then post a photo from the game. Then compare live stats from all your favorite players. Maybe the commercials get boring in the fourth quarter and you want to watch a live concert from the Black Eyed Peas. Rent it.
It changes a medium from delayed to instant gratification. See a product in a commercial? Order it now. See your team win the super bowl? Buy a t-shirt that says “Green Bay Packers –World Champions” instantly. Maybe you can even affect the outcome of a reality show or choose your own ending to your favorite sitcom.
There’s a web-enabled app for that, or at least there will be. No one could have imagined that there would be 500,000 apps for your phone. No one will imagine it for your TV either. Picture all of the mobile apps that are available, on a bigger screen and a more social experience, in a medium that’s primarily content driven. It’s a whole new perspective.
Remember the year 2015? Well, TV will constitute over 50% of all web-enabled CE device shipments worldwide in 2015. It won’t be too long before the boob tube becomes YouTube.