The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The latest version of Yahoo’s social TV app lets users caption and share still images from shows, and it IDs music being played in broadcasts, even if the tune isn’t performed by the original artists. Read more at paidContent »
Social TV is any application, website or software that allows viewers to interact with television programming and share that interaction with others. Startups in this space hope to combine ubiquitous second-screen technology with well-established audience behavior to drive new value around shows. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Second-screen apps could soon tell you which actors are on your TV screen, what products they’re consuming and which music is playing in the background, thanks to a yet-to-be launched content-recognition platform from Gracenote. The company gave us a first look at the technology. Read more »
Yahoo released its IntoNow iPad app yesterday, adding a larger form factor and more social features to the TV chec-kin service. I go hands-on to see what all the fuss is about, and find a neat interface for finding new shows based on what others watch. Read more »
Research indicates that 88 percent of people who own tablets use them while watching TV. Yahoo is primed to take advantage of that trend by launching an iPad version of its social TV mobile app IntoNow, with new social media features to complement TV content. Read more »
Yap.tv’s social TV app has been updated with more personalization and social features. Version 3.0 of the app provides Yap.tv users with even more personalized channel lineups, while providing a more social experience for chatting and interacting with their friends and followers on social networks. Read more »
Yahoo is still the biggest online property in the U.S., with fairly sturdy content and communications assets, but its options for restoring growth are getting fewer. Yahoo must re-energize its business around video, a social advertising network and/or syndication, or sell itself to Microsoft or AOL, ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Shazam has become one of the more popular mobile apps for figuring out what song it is you’re listening to, but it sees a huge opportunity to be part of the broader TV advertising ecosystem. And it’s raised $32 million in venture capital to do so. Read more »
The BBC’s former iPlayer head Anthony Rose wants to use iPads and other mobile devices to get around some of the restrictions of traditional connected devices. His new startup tBone TV wants to develop a platform that turns broadcast television into a two-way experience. Read more »
What if your iPad knew what you were watching on TV? What if web sites automatically displayed ads that corresponded to commercials you’re seeing on the big screen? Second Screen Networks is demoing this kind of synchronized advertising on this week’s American Idol finale. Read more »
Turn on the TV at any given time, and you’re likely going to see tons of tickers scrolling across the screen on news networks, sports shows and even entertainment programming. Synchronize.tv wants to get rid of that and instead bring relevant information to the second screen. Read more »
Yahoo scooped up social TV startup IntoNow for more than $20 million today. The deal doesn’t just give Yahoo one of the hottest new entrants to the TV check-in game; it also offers access to technology that could help Yahoo with its Connected TV platform. Read more »
A new social TV app is launching, hoping to make it easier for users to share what they’re watching with friends. The trick is that IntoNow, which is launching today, is doing so with some state-of-the-art audio recognition technology and a deep index of TV shows. Read more »
