Connected TV: Do consumers get it?

Nigel Walley, CEO of Decipher, believes it is a confusing time for consumers in the TV market, as there are different technologies, different players and lots of different acronyms (DTRs/PVRs/DVRs).

Speaking at MediaTel Group’s Media Playground 2011 event last week, Walley said there has been a lack of promotion of connected TVs to date. For instance, shops don’t have internet connections to enable them to demo it. However, he believes Samsung’s latest offering (and ad campaign) is a game-changer.

Also on the ‘Broadcast in a multi-platform world’ panel, Dan Saunders (pictured), head of content services at Samsung, said consumers are already buying connected TV products, whether they know about it or not.

Games consoles such as the PS3 and Virgin’s pay-TV service were used as examples of ‘connected’ devices people already have in a “standard household”, though Saunders focused on the rise of smart TVs. From now on, 75% of Samsung TVs will have the capacity to be connected (Samsung sell one in four TV sets in the UK). “If we can offer people the services they want – simple propositions like catch-up TV and movies on-demand – people will want to engage,” Saunders said.

Rovi’s head of advertising Jeff Siegel agreed that the pace is growing rapidly, as the consumer experience improves. Dara Nasr, head – YouTube & Display at Google, added that the online/offline divide has disappeared in the last year. “TV was the least-connected device but now TV has the ability to make a truly convergence device… It is very compelling,” he said.

Meanwhile, Oli Newton, head of emerging platforms at Starcom Mediavest Group, noted that consumers don’t realise how much technology they have already got access to and what it can do. However, he believes kids are up-teching their parents, educating them and helping to change their viewing habits.

Newton said from a consumer’s perspective, it is not about names and definitions, but what gives the best viewing experience. “People should be able to access content on any device, how they want it,” he said.