For years, Yahoo has been demonstrating TV products at CES, and it was one of the first movers in the space. But these days, just about everyone else is getting the buzz.
Today at CES, Yahoo is showing off a rather cool upgrade to its Connected TV widget platform. Called “broadcast interactivity,” Yahoo’s software listens to TV audio and identifies unique signatures to match against widget content, displaying relevant content in an overlay as you watch. And it works for both live and on-demand video.
So for example, one of Yahoo’s pilot partners is CBS. As viewers watch, an info pane pops up, showing fun facts about the show and allowing them to find more via their remotes. For Home Shopping Network (HSN), viewers can make purchases. Yahoo is also working with ABC, Showtime and advertisers Ford and Mattel for the pilot.
If you ask us, these content experiences feel very 1.0, given the social opportunities of connected TVs. But the pilot is just getting underway. The audio sensing, however, seems like it has lots of potential.
Yahoo’s biggest problem with its platform is how you can get it, given the massive surge of TV app competition in this space. Yahoo announced at CES that it will launch a set-top box with D-Link, but it’s going to be tough to compete with low-cost rivals like Roku. Explains CNET: “The platform might work better as a software appendage on a Tivo or cable company DVR.”