Sunnyvale, California — The faded Internet pioneer Yahoo and the South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung on Tuesday announced an extended partnership to deliver Yahoo! Connected TV in 26 new countries across Europe, enhancing Samsung TVs to 39 countries worldwide, raising their bet that television viewers want to easily link to websites such as Facebook without having the entire Web crammed into TV sets.
As consumers chooses Yahoo Connected TV to easily communicate with Internet content and services to accompany and elevate the traditional TV viewing experience, the Internet revolution will be televised with thousands of Internet content sources, and an ever-increasing number of TV Widgets, Yahoo has announced.
Under the partnership, Samsung sells TVs with an operating system full of Yahoo software widgets, which empowers TV viewers to access much of the media company’s online content without actually browsing the web.
It present advantages such as access to their favorite video content on YouTube; view the latest headlines and videos on Sky News and Bild News, view photos from Flickr; discover travel deals on Teletext Holidays, and get German football scores and updates on Bild Mein Klub; shop on eBay; play games from PlayJam, create a personal channel of music videos on Putpat, or catch up with friends on Twitter and Facebook, and much more — all while watching TV.
Yahoo! and Samsung unleashed their Connected TV partnership at a major Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early 2009, and the duo are betting that people do not want the full internet “crammed” into their large, high resolution HDTV sets.
Furthermore, with Samsung’s own Internet@TV service, Samsung’s 2010 European Internet-connected TVs will also feature a new full-screen Yahoo! user interface.
“Europe is at the forefront of interactive TV, and in association with Samsung we are increasing the availability of Yahoo Connected TV and delivering an unparalleled, personally relevant connected TV experience for consumers,” said Rich Riley, senior vice president and managing director Yahoo EMEA. “Yahoo connects consumers to the information and services they enjoy regardless of the device. We are delivering the right Internet-connected TV experience across Europe and opening up a new and robust channel to publishers and developers looking to bring their services into millions of living rooms.”
Yahoo! is augmenting its tactics as Google jumps into the arena with Logitech boxes or Sony televisions that merge broadcast, cable, and online content.
“We do not think people want the whole Web browser experience crammed in a TV,” Yahoo senior director of Connect TV marketing Russ Schafer, said in a statement. “It is a best-of-the-Web not all-of-the-Web comparison; which is similar to how people consume television,” he added.
Moreover, cable television services typically offer hundreds of channels, but a thorough study indicates that households stick with no more than 15 favorites and essentially ignore the rest, according to Schafer.
Yahoo anticipates that similar activity will play out on Internet-connected televisions, with people remaining loyal to online locales such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter instead of sifting through thousands of websites.
“Feedback tells us we have the right kind of solution,” Schafer said.
“Samsung is an innovator in Internet-enabled TV, offering consumers one of the most compelling experiences possible,” said Kevin Lee, vice president, Samsung Electronics. “Our extended alliance with Yahoo! will enable millions of European consumers to experience content from Yahoo! Connected TV.”
The extended partnership with Samsung is the latest step in the global distribution of Yahoo! Connected TV, which is currently being used in 135 countries. This year, Yahoo began making extensive alliances with computer chip makers with a goal of getting Connected TV software built into DVD players and other entertainment content delivery devices. Sony, Vizio, Toshiba, and LG Electronics are among the heavyweights that make televisions embedded with Yahoo! software widgets.