Yahoo! Connected TV News

Yahoo! Connected TV Wins 2011 Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Emmy Engineering Award!

Yahoo! Connected TV team recognized for engineering excellence at the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Engineering Awards on October 26 in Los Angeles.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has honored the Yahoo! Connected TV team with the 2011 Primetime Emmy Engineering Plaque, The award recognizes Yahoo Connected TV’s engineering achievement and its importance to the progress of the television industry.

From the Academy press release, “In 2009 Yahoo! shifted the television viewing paradigm, enabling the internet experience on TV to become a reality. Yahoo! Introduced the Connected TV platform with applications designed specifically for the TV - ushering in an explosion of consumer personalization and choice, ultimately enhancing the viewers’ TV watching experience.”

We are grateful to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for recognizing Yahoo Connected TV's contribution to the advancement of television. Creating a compelling Internet and TV consumer experience, requires an entire ecosystem of partners. We want to thank our numerous distribution partners, publishers, developers and advertisers for their contribution to our success.

Most importantly, we want to recognize the consumers who use Yahoo! Connected TV every month giving us the highest consumer adoption rate in the industry. With new Yahoo Connected TV technologies like Broadcast Interactivity and Device Communication, we plan to continue to deliver the state of the art in interactive television.

Make Money today with the Yahoo! Connected TV Store on Sony® and Toshiba® TVs

Ready to make money selling Paid TV Apps through the Yahoo! Connected TV Store?  

We are pleased to announce that the initial rollout of the Yahoo! Connected TV Store to consumers has begun.  Consumers with Sony and Toshiba TVs can now download Paid TV Apps in addition to the Free TV Apps available today.   We expect the rollout of the Yahoo Connected TV Store to reach millions of TVs in the coming months.  

• Paid TV Apps run the gamut from games and educational content to premium versions of Free TV Apps
• Paid TV App prices range from 99 cents to $99
• Developers get 70% of the revenue after taxes and currency exchange
• TV App sales are processed through the Yahoo!® Connected TV Store
  

Get Local with the YPTV® app on your Yahoo! Connected TV

Ordering a pizza for the game? Want to make an appointment at the salon? Looking for deals near you? With just a few clicks, you can do it all from the comfort of your couch! The AT&T Interactive YPTV® app is your easy-to-use local guide for information and discounts.

The first and only local search application available on Yahoo! Connected TV allows you to search millions of business listings, access and read reviews, and even call directly from your TV! If you're on the go, you can send YPTV® business information straight to your email or mobile phone via SMS for easy access. You can also browse maps to see where the places you're searching for are located. Looking to save money? No problem, with the YPTV® app you can view local deals to get the best prices nearby! Best of all, you can do all of this without having to miss a minute of your favorite TV show.

Bring sports home to your Sony® TV with ESPN®'s ScoreCenter TV app

Don't miss a second of action from your favorite teams and sports! The new ESPN® ScoreCenter TV app gives you access to latest scores, upcoming games, stats, and even more! On demand, and right on your TV screen.

Browse through multiple sports such as NFL®, MLB®, and the NBA®. The ESPN® ScoreCenter TV app also puts you in the driver seat by enabling you to customize your TV experience selecting your favorite sports and teams.

Wall Street Journal® Launches "WSJ LIVE" Interactive Video App on Yahoo! Connected TV

The Wall Street Journal has released the WSJ LIVE app on the Yahoo! Connected TV platform. The interactive video TV App brings live and on-demand content from the Wall Street Journal Digital Network directly to the biggest screen in your house.

WSJ Live currently offers up to four total hours of live programming from across the company's network of sites. Users can access eight half-hour live shows, breaking news updates, exclusive interviews and special events coverage.

Get the Yahoo! Fantasy Football App on your TV – New Features for 2011

Now that the NFL drama is over it's time to get serious about Yahoo! Fantasy Football. Last year we launched the Yahoo! Fantasy Football TV App for VIZIO®, Samsung®, Sony®, and Toshiba® TVs with Yahoo! Connected TV. For 2011, we have made some exciting improvements that even the casual fantasy fan will appreciate.

See Yahoo! Connected TV at these Q4 Events

October 2011

• Oct 19, IEEE Interactive TV, Alexandria
• Oct 17-21, Digital Hollywood Fall, Los Angeles
• Oct 26-27th, AppDev Conference, Santa Clara
• Oct 26th, Academy of Arts and Sciences Emmy Engineering Awards Dinner, Hollywood, CA

• Nov 1-2nd, App World Forum - The Current state of TV Apps, NY
• Nov 8th, Streaming Media West, Los Angeles, CA
• Nov 16th, Social TV Summit, New York
• Nov 17th, Future of Television East, NYC

December 2011

• Dec. 7-8th, Digital Livingroom Summit, San Francisco
  
  

Yahoo! Connected TV Hits 8 Million Devices in 2010, Forecast to reach 16 million by early 2012

Yahoo! Connected TV reached the 8 million household milestone at the end of 2010 and distribution is accelerating! By early 2012, the install base is forecast to double to 16 million households. Yahoo! Connected TV is the #1 Connected TV Platform worldwide with engagement numbers that the industry would envy. Up to 70% of all TVs with Yahoo! Connected TV are connected and up to 60% are used monthly. The platform connection and usage rates differ by country and device partner.

To further increase consumer engagement and monetization, Yahoo! Connected TV will be releasing Broadcast Interactivity and Device Control. These platform features will enable broadcasters, advertisers and publishers to engage consumers more personally and immediately than ever before across PC, TV, Tablets and Smart Phones.

Why Connected TV Is Poised To Revolutionize Entertainment

Right now, more than 30 million U.S. households are using digital TVs, Blu-ray players and gaming consoles for viewing some form of online content in the living room, and that number is on the rise. According to Parks Associates, less than a quarter of HDTVs were connected to the Internet in 2010, but by 2015, that number will spike to 76%. The reason for this massive jump? With increasing consumer demand for connectivity in the living room and faster broadband speeds, device makers will make it convenient for HDTVs to connect directly to the Internet without an extra device in-between.

So how will Internet-connected TV change how we use the television?
How can the industry cross the chasm from early adopters to broad adoption?
Yahoo! Connected TV’s research and consumer usage data reveal a few key trends that will spur the mainstream into flipping the switch on connected TVs. Click here to learn more.

Introducing More Than 30 New Yahoo! Connected TV Apps

On May 5th, Yahoo! announced more than 30 new TV apps available across the Yahoo! Connected TV platform, bringing our total to more than 150 available TV apps. The new TV Apps include the NHL Gamecenter™, Bigstar® Movies on Demand, HSN® or Home Shopping Network®, TVO® Kids video programming, Vimeo® Video Hosting,  Ford® Ford Edge, 2012 Ford Focus, and Lincoln MKX® and over 20 local TV Stations.

Yahoo! Connected TV currently powers the TVs of more than 8 million households on leading brand sets including VIZIO, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and LG.  TV apps run the gamut from fun to functional, including social networking, streaming music, casual games, personalized financial quotes, locally relevant news, weather and sports, and more than 75,000 movies and TV shows on demand.

Into_Now Delivers Social TV: Find, Discuss and Follow Your Favorite TV Programs

Yahoo! announced the acquisition of Into_Now. Into_Now has built a platform and companion TV application based on real time indexing of television that deepens the connections between audiences, television content and advertisers. Into_Now has indexed more than five years of US based television programming, creating a rich database to build video discovery and programming experiences. Into_Now is able to identify content down to the airing, episode and time within the program as well as provide program information and links associated with it, all within a matter of seconds.

"Relying on social channels as a means for discovering content— whether it's on a PC, mobile device, or TV —is rapidly on the rise. Into_Now's technology combines the ability to check-in to what a consumer is watching, engage in conversations, and find related content," said Bill Shaughnessy, SVP of Global Product Management at Yahoo!. "The Into_Now application the team has built clearly demonstrates the opportunities the technology presents across Yahoo!'s network, especially in regards to our video content, search, mobile and Connected TV experiences."

Yahoo! Connected TV Store Launching with Consumers in Q3 2011

In November, Yahoo! opened the Yahoo!® Connected TV Store to developers, providing the opportunity to create and sell Paid TV Widgets to millions of consumers in 135 countries. We expect the store to reach the first consumers in Q3 2011.  

Below are the highlights:

• Developers get 70% of the revenue after taxes and currency exchange
• All transactions processed by Yahoo!®
• TV Widget prices range from 99 cents to $99
• Consumers can purchase in US Dollars, Euros and British Pound Sterling

If you've got an idea for a killer app for the TV, you can start now — download the latest Yahoo! Widget Development Kit version 1.2 now

Device Control Coming Soon: Connect Your Tablet and Phone Apps to Yahoo! Connected TV

Designed with creativity in mind, developers are free to implement new ways of controlling and interacting with your TV using tablets, phones and laptops. Yahoo! Connected TV announced device control in January and it will be available to developers soon. Get started today by downloading the device communication white paper for more details Select the "Download the White Paper" button on the right.

Here are a few Device Control features:

• Mobile Phones as Smart Remote Controls — Use an Android phone or an iPhone as a smart remote control for a Yahoo! Connected TV, taking advantage of the phone's superior searching, sorting, navigation, and data entry controls.
• Tablet Devices for Data Rich Interfaces — Use the Yahoo! Connected TV companion app on the iPad to connect with the currently playing TV program. Access a rich set of web results on the tablet which can be played on the TV with the touch of a button.
• TV Displays for Shared Web Viewing — Access web videos on a tablet and send them to a big screen TV for shared viewing.

Stay tuned for a notice about the Device Control Developer Online event in Q3 2011. To review slides from the last Yahoo! Connected TV Developer Online Event, click here.

Download the Latest Development Kit

The Yahoo! Widget Developer Kit version 1.2.15 is available for download. Developers can rejoice as we now support two different virtual machine emulation environments on both Windows and OSX, and a pre-configured VM for both of these environments!

YAHOO! ANNOUNCES BROADCAST INTERACTIVITY—SUPPORTED BY LEADING BROADCASTERS (CBS®, ABC®, SHOWTIME®, HSN®) AND ADVERTISERS (FORD®, MATTEL®, MICROSOFT®)

At CES in Jan 2011, Yahoo! introduced a ground breaking feature for TV called Broadcast Interactivity. Broadcast Interactivity synchronizes Internet content with the TV show or advertisement a consumer is watching. The consumer is prompted to view and interact with content that can include: TV show trivia, voting for their favorite actor, purchasing an item they see on TV, playing along with their favorite game show, or viewing related videos and photos.

This synchronization works for any video stream, so interactivity can be enabled on TVs that are playing cable, satellite, DVR recorded and Internet video. Broadcast Interactivity can be extended to both phones and tablets in the living room, allowing different content to be directed to different devices based on their capability.

This new feature will be piloted in the 1H of 2011 with leading TV and cable broadcasters including ABC, CBS, HSN, and Showtime and brand advertisers including Ford, Mattel and Microsoft. Below are just a few of the possibilities.

• TV Shows: CBS — Viewers of Hawaii Five-O could view fun facts on each character and see trivia about the original and new series.
  
  
• Live Sports: Showtime — Showtime Boxing fans could access detailed fight information including photos and videos, test their knowledge of boxers and vote for the boxer they think will win the match.
  
  
• Consumer Commerce: HSN — Shoppers watching HSN could directly purchase an item highlighted on the show, accessing real-time inventory data and taking advantage of specials of the day.
  
  
• Interactive Advertisements: Ford — TV viewers watching a Lincoln MKX commercial could find a local dealer, customize their dream car, view a Lincoln luxury lifestyle video, and more.

Go here for images of all of these examples

Click here for more information

Click here to read full press release

NEW WIDGET DEVELOPMENT KIT 1.2 AVAILABLE TODAY
DOWNLOAD NOW

We are excited to announce that the new Yahoo! Widget Developer Kit version 1.2.15 is now available for download. Developers can rejoice as we now support two different virtual machine emulation environments on both Windows and OSX, and a pre-configured VM for both of these environments! Check out a few of the new features included in the WDK version 1.2.15  

• Pre-configured with Ubuntu Virtual Machine (VM)
• Support for both VMware and VirtualBox on PCs and Macs!
• Based on Yahoo! Widget Engine version 5.6 matching what is in production on OEM TVs
• Includes a new simulation mode for Toshiba TVs, in addition to the previously supported Samsung, LG, and VIZIO TVs
• Uses a new media player based on OpenGL for better compatibility with a wider range of host development environments.

MARCH 24TH: ATTEND Y! CONNECTED TV DEVELOPER ONLINE EVENT

Join us on March 24 at 12pm pst for the Yahoo! Connected TV Developer Online Event. We will cover a broad range of recently announced product features including Broadcast Interactivity, the Connected TV Store and our recently released Widget Development Kit. Don't miss this opportunity to hear directly from Yahoo Connected TV product and engineering team members. Join us and get more info on the following topics:

• Widget Developer Kit Update
• Yahoo! Connected TV Store
• Broadcast Interactivity
• Device Control
• What's next for 2011 and beyond
• Developer Q&A Session — Submit your questions before the event at http://svy.mk/yctvQandA

Mark your calendar for the first Yahoo! Connected TV Online Event on March 24, 2011. RSVP on our Facebook page

Before the event, download the latest WDK (v1.2.15) released March 15th

• Mobile Phones as Smart Remote Controls — Use an Android phone or an iPhone as a smart remote control for a Yahoo! Connected TV, taking advantage of the phone's superior searching, sorting, navigation, and data entry controls.
  
• Tablet Devices for Data Rich Interfaces — Use the Yahoo! Connected TV companion app on the iPad to connect with the currently playing TV program. Access a rich set of web results on the tablet which can be played on the TV with the touch of a button.
  
• TV Displays for Shared Web Viewing — Access web videos on a tablet and send them to a big screen TV for shared viewing.

YAHOO! CONNECTED TV STORE CONSUMER LAUNCH IS Q2 2011

In November, Yahoo! opened the Yahoo!® Connected TV Store to developers, providing the opportunity to create and sell Paid TV Widgets to millions of consumers in 135 countries.   

Below are the highlights:

• Developers get 70% of the revenue after taxes and currency exchange
• All transactions processed by Yahoo!®
• TV Widget prices range from 99 cents to $99
• Consumers can purchase in US Dollars, Euros and British Pound Sterling

The Yahoo team is on track to release the Yahoo! Connected TV Store to TV OEMs for certification.  We expect the store to reach the first consumers in Q2 2011.  

If you've got an idea for a killer app for the TV, you can start now — download the latest Yahoo! Widget Development Kit version 1.2 now

• Developers get 70% of the revenue after taxes and currency exchange
  
  
• All transactions processed by Yahoo!®
  
  
• TV Widget prices range from 99 cents to $99
  
  
• Consumers can purchase in US Dollars, Euros and British Pound Sterling
  
  
• Example Paid TV Widget categories include games, education, news and information, home movie service, and more!
  
  
• Coming Paid TV Widgets include Kadoo from MediaFly. PlayJam Darts, Miami Pool and Puzdoku, Virtual Nerd, ScreenDreams, Accedo Texas Hold and Music Madness, and MyCast Weather.

YAHOO! AND SAMSUNG
have announced an extended partnership to deliver Yahoo! Connected TV in 26 new countries across Europe, bringing Yahoo! Connected TV on Samsung TVs to 39 countries worldwide. Yahoo! Connected TV is currently in use in 135 countries on approximately 4 million devices. This November 2nd announcement builds on the partnership that Yahoo! and Samsung announced in 2009.

"Samsung is an innovator in Internet-enabled TV, offering consumers one of the most compelling experiences possible. Our expanded partnership with Yahoo! will enable millions of European consumers to experience content from Yahoo! Connected TV."
- Kevin Lee, Vice President, Samsung Electronics.

• Thursday, January 6th, 10:30am - 11:30am — Irv Henderson
  Track I - STC6 - Smart Phone & Tablet Conference
  The Hyper Connected Consumer - Mobile Device and Mobile Network
• Thursday, January 6th, 3:00pm - 4:00pm — Russ Schafer
  Track II - DH9 - Digital Hollywood
  The Flat Panel-Television Platform: HD, Downloads, Interactivity, Widgets - New Relationships, New Technology.
• Friday, January 7th, 10:30am - 11:30am — Ron Jacoby
  Track I - CC1 - Cable Conference
  The NexGen Entertainment Home Experience - From the Smart & Connected TV to the PVR, Set-Top & PC Experience

• Home Page: New Consumer Video, Featured TV Devices to Purchase and Popular TV Widgets
  
• Consumer Page: Browse and purchase over 100 TV models that feature Yahoo! Connected TV from Samsung, VIZIO, Toshiba, Sony and LG.
• Services Page: Most recent, featured and most popular TV Widgets from around the world.
• Developer Page: New developer video series, developer forums and the developer blog.
• Connected TV Store: TV Store Overview and process for making money selling Paid TV Widgets!
• Newsroom Page: Latest news, consumer blog, images and the Yahoo! Connected TV newsletter.
  
  

• Develop for Yahoo! Connected TV, the leading Connected TV platform with worldwide distribution of over 4 million TVs in 110 countries.
  
  
• Learn more and provide feedback on development tools, product offerings and monetization.
  
  
• Please take a few moments to complete the Yahoo! Connected TV Developer Survey.
  
  
• At the end of the survey, please enter your information to be entered in a random drawing for one VIZIO 42" Class TruLED™ LCD HDTV.
  • The prize is one 42" Vizio television (approximate retail value: US $1,300.00) or substantial equivalent, to be given to one winner.
  • The VIZIO TVs with Yahoo! Connected TV are only available in the U.S., so the promotional drawing is only available to U.S. Residents
  • For complete promotional drawing rules, click here.
    
    

Speeding Up the TV Widget Q/A Process: Developer Checklist
Find out everything you need to know about the Yahoo! Connected TV Widget Q/A process to accelerate your distribution to consumer TVs in over 110 countries. To speed up the process, we created a Developer Check List of short cuts and common developer errors. Learn more

Developer Support Tools and Forums
Below are links to common developer questions, documentation and support options. If you can't find what you need, then you can email us directly at: tvwidgets@yahoo.com

	Business Opportunity • Technology Overview • Monetization
	Develop and Test • Download the WDK • Developer Support Forums • Development FAQ
	Distribute to Customers • Approval Process • Distribution FAQ