Peel boasts 100 million-plus registered users that generate eight billion smart remote commands per month. This is mainly because it is pre-loaded on more than half of Android devices.
Later this year, Peel will be bringing its smart remote technology to the Apple Watch, giving users not only the ability to control their TVs but also their smart home electronics.
“A Peel-in living room experience might involve simultaneously turning on the TV and sound system, closing the blinds, adjusting room temperature and lowering the lights, all with the tap of one button on your Apple Watch,” explained Peel co-founder and chief product officer Bala Krishnan.
The jury is still out on whether Twitter and Facebook chatter alone can effectively drive TV tune-in, but there are more tangible results for whether Peel’s advertising products can. Peel is able to do two things: it can serve clickable ads to users just before they are about to change the channel; the ads actually change the channel to the advertised program. Also, customers can promote links on social that allow viewers to set reminders about when a show will air. Peel clients include CBS, CNN, Fox, HBO, HISTORY, and NBC.
Consumers will have choices when it comes to Apple Watch smart remotes. Two weeks ago, Ooyala announced that customers can now use its iOS SDK to enable iOS playback controls via Apple Watch.