Yahoo Announces New Interactivity for Connected TV

LAS VEGAS—Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, Yahoo announced new consumer and advertiser offerings for its Connected TV platform. New interactions including show trivia, voting, shopping, videos, photos, and game show play will now be possible for users of Yahoo's Internet TV software, which is available on televisions from Sony, Samsung, VIZIO, Toshiba, Haier, and HiSense. Connected TV adds Internet-connected apps and widgets to the biggest screen in the home.

"It's clear that people are relying on apps across all of the screens in their lives, and we expect consumer usage of TV apps to rapidly increase as Internet-connected devices become mainstream in 2012," said Ron Jacoby, vice president, Yahoo! Connected TV. He continued, "Engagement with TV second-screen companion apps and interactive experiences, like broadcast interactivity, will also be on the rise as we move into a new era of content convergence in the living room. We're excited to extend the broadcast interactivity experience and mobile app device communication functionality to more TV manufacturers and other leading brands in 2012."

Yahoo claims that over 1 million people engage with Yahoo Connected TV each month. The platform offers more than 180 apps, with new ones from ABC, AT&T Yellow Pages, Disney, ESPN, and Clear Channel announced at the trade show.

Yahoo gave three examples of what is or will be possible with its Connected TV service:

• Viewers of live sporting events, such as Showtime Boxing, can vote for the boxer they think will win the match, and view related information such as photos or videos.

• Consumers can use their TV remotes to purchase an item being highlighted on HSN, access real-time inventory data on products, and take advantage of specials of the day.

• In the first quarter of 2012, viewers will also be able to interact with TV programming by tagging their favorite shows for social, content, and rewards-based experiences using IntoNow from Yahoo on their TV.

The service can now also interact with Apple's iPad and iPhone, as well as Android devices, which will be able to launch apps on the TV. Viewers will also be able to enter text on the mobile devices for TV apps, much more easily than on a remote.

Advertisers will now be able to display ads in the TV apps, from which viewers can purchase products or find more information.  The first advertiser with a Yahoo Connected TV was Toyota, which used the service for a multi-screen campaign built around Yahoo's popular Fantasy Football leagues.

For more on the service, head to the company's Connected TV page.

For more from Michael, follow him on Twitter @mikemuch.