Connected TV and Canvas
Connected (or broadband) TV has been talked about for years….so why all the excitement now? Simply put, it is happening now! This is driven by several key factors unique to the UK which will lead to mass-market adoption of these devices.
First, the BBC has committed to deliver iPlayer to Freeview, which requires broadband connected devices.
Britain’s digital switchover will prompt millions of analogue video recorders to be replaced with broadband connected Freeview PVR devices.
And Freeview High Definition channels, available from 2010, will also require new HD capable set-top boxes.
At the same time as this requirement for new devices, several powerful bodies – The BBC, ITV, BT and five – have launched “Project Canvas” to set open standards for broadband TV to work alongside Freeview and Freesat. In the same way that Netscape enabled the web to flourish, Canvas will allow brands and content providers to get their content onto Freeview much more cost-effectively.
Connected TV
A TV technology step-change is happening in the UK with the roll-out of broadband-enabled Freeview set-top boxes from 2010.
This will mean consumers will have access to on-demand content, interactive services and targeted advertising on the TV. TV content such as iPlayer, web content like YouTube and much more will be viewed in the living room.
This presents a huge opportunity for content providers and brands to cost-effectively distribute content to the television
Businesses will find that their own TV presence is finally affordable – without the need for expensive and proprietary satellite, cable or terrestrial services. Organisations can practically put a proposition on TV where they could not do so before.
Exciting? Definitely.
This is no one-way broadcast dictated by a programme scheduler. With two-way broadband connectivity this is your opportunity to actively engage with the living rooms of up to 10 million homes across the UK.
Challenging? You bet.
The creation of an interactive TV experience is a difficult task and, without help, these brands and content providers will struggle to fully exploit the medium.
