The future of TV, from Apple to Zeebox
The future of TV has become a buzzword over the last few years but what if it was time to stop talking about it and acknowledge that the future has already arrived?
Taking a look at the new devices and apps launched each week, the main trends quickly become more and more obvious: social TV, second screens, and the blurring of the frontier between TV and the Internet. To get a better understanding of whats coming, weve decided to take a deeper look at the top 5 news this week:
1. Shelby.tv coming to the iPad online video as a social experience
If youve watched TechStars on Bloomberg TV, you certainly remember the team behind Shelby.tv. Its co-founder Reece Pacheco and his team were key characters in the reality show about the accelerators latest batch of startups. Were using the word character on purpose, as some TechStars alumni complained that the show had distanced itself from reality multiple times for the sake of drama.
Reeces team was one of the startups that werent p! ainted i n the best light by the show; it focused heavily on the teams pivot from a sports-related project to social TV, making it sound like an afterthought. If it were a hundred percent true, the team would likely have failed.
Instead, it ended up creating Shelby.tv, which turned out to be a great product to help you experience videos your friends are sharing on social networks(see our previous post Shelby.tv just made watching videos on Twitter wicked awesome).Its Chrome app already made it to Chrome Web Stores landing page and theres more coming. As the team announced this week, Shelby.tv released its public beta, and itsapp is now available on the iPad and the iPhone.
2. Apple producing its own TV, disrupting the market?
The rumor is becoming more and more persistent; according to analysts, Apple is already working on manufacturing its own TV devices. As we reported a few days ago,the analyst Gene Munster found excerpts in Steve Jobs biography which seem to confirm this plan: according to Walter Isaacson, Jobs told himthat hed like to create an integrated television set.
According to Fortune,Apple met with manufacturers in January to secure LCD supplies. According to Gene Mu! nster, i ts likely by now that Apple has already produced prototype TV sets, which could even integrate voice controls la Siri. If famed Apple analyst Gene Munster can be trusted, this could obviously have a strong impact on the smart TV market and its growth. This would also open a new line of business for Apple. Indeed, Munster is convinced Apple could sell 1.4 million television units in 2012, adding $2.5b or 2% to revenue in that year.
3. Netflix suffering in the US, expanding globally
The blow to Neflix was even worse than expected; according to its Q3 results, the DVD rental and streaming companylost 800,000 US subscribers in three months (see our post Netflixs Q3 results underperform domestic expectations. It already knew it would pay the price for its mistakes, namely its controversial price hike and its aborted tentative to split its business in two. However, it hadnt fully realized how bad the results would be nor had its shareholders until the numbers were released.
4. Zeebox, the new way to watch TV
If youre in the UK, theres a new iPadapp you may want to try immediately. Zeebox, as it iscalled, will expand to other countries and platforms next year, according to its co-founder Anthony Rose. The former Head of iPlayer at the BBC and ex-CTO of YouView, Rose is certainly one of the architects of the future of TV. Its latest project, Zeebox, is very ambitious, aiming to become the new way to watch television. To understand how it works, heres a demo of the app:
If you still needed a proof that Zeeboxs team is not the only one to believe in the apps potential, iTunes made it its App of the Week in its UK Store. It also has appeal for the TV industry: according toPaidContent, Zeeboxs CEO Ernesto Schmitt is convinced that broadcasters and advertisers will show interest in the app as a way to drive engagement, while producers will be keen on getting minute-by-minute data on how their shows perform.
5. Google updates Google TV, launches original channels on YouTube
While Google TVgenerated huge expectations at the time of its launch, it hasnt taken off in mass adoption. However, that may be about to change or so hopes Google. The company released a major software update for its product yesterday, in an attemptto correct flaws from the first version.
According to Google TVs official blog, finding content will now be easier and the new interface will be simpler many testers had complained the first devices were too difficult to use. Apps also make their entry, as users will be able to access the Android Market, where they can already find an initial batch of 50 TV-optimized apps.
The updated Google TV software will also include a new, tailored YouTube version, in which any topic will become a channel, confirming Googles desire to transform its video portal into a leanback experience. This isnt the only way watching YouTube will be similar to watching TV. Indeed, Google announced yesterday that YouTube would partner with dozens of content creators to bring quality original programming to the platform.
Which of these news represent the best what will be the future of television? Let us know in the comments.
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