TDG's Latest Report Examines Consumer Interest in Specific TV Widgets
Unique Research on 26 Widget-Based TV Applications Now Available
Dallas, TX (October 21, 2009) – – The Diffusion Group, the nation's leading new media research consultancy, has made available to the public exclusive primary research on a wide variety of widget-based web TV applications. TDG's new report, Widgets Gone Wild - Separating Killer Apps from Losers in the Age of Web TV, is now available for purchase.
"To date, it has been impossible to introduce Internet applications into the TV environment and make them stick," notes Michael Greeson, TDG founding partner and report author. "There are a number of culprits involved, ranging from the lack of network-capable TVs and poorly conceived user interfaces, to a genuine lack of consumer interest in the applications offered."
Colin Dixon, TDG senior partner and a former member of the Microsoft Web TV team, argues that the age of Internet TV is only now beginning in earnest, having been touted prematurely nearly a decade ago, long before technology and consumer vectors were in alignment. Today, however, the circumstances are different. "For one, the technologies needed to deliver a rich Internet TV experience are being put in place. Second, today's consumer understands the value that specific Internet applications can bring to their TV experience. Third, a new user interface has emerged that offers an intuitive and easy-to-use means of engaging the web on TV. It is now a question of identifying which specific Internet TV applications are most valued - thus the purpose of this research."
TDG's new report includes consumer assessments of 26 different widget-based TV applications covering TV/video, music, photos, on-demand information, social media, interactive advertising, online shopping, and a myriad of other apps now under consideration by CE OEMs and service providers. Specific applications evaluated in the study include:
- TV and video applications such as access to online TV sites and movie recommendation services;
- Photo and music applications such as TV-based access to Flickr and Pandaro;
- Real-time e-commerce (eBay) and interactive advertising for specific TV shows and movies;
- On-demand information such as breaking news, business, weather, sports, and traffic updates;
- Real-time media clipping for ringtones and wallpaper; and
- TV-based instant messaging and access to social networks such as Facebook