Sep
5
2009

Connecting TV and the Web

Last night, after a busy day at work, grocery shopping, dinner and some unpacking (I just moved into my first house!), I sat down to catch up on some TV shows. If you’re like me, the moment my bum hits that couch I reach for my laptop. It is impossible for me to sit still, so while I am watching TV, more times than not, I am also online. I am checking my emails, any recent updates on Facebook, balancing my online accounts, etc. Last night’s online excursion included shopping for affordable, yet hip, dining room chairs (who knew 2 chairs could cost more than an entire table?!?!). When that wasn’t successful, I dove into the world of affordable desks and then moved on to comforters for the guest bedrooms. Before I knew it, it was two hours later and I hadn’t paid more than five minutes of attention to what I was supposed to be watching. Today I was sent this article stating that I am not alone.

According to a Nielsen study, 57% of TV viewers in America have turned on their television and computer at the same time at least once in the last month. The average time spent using both media simultaneously is 2 hours and 40 minutes per month. For those that like to experience them together, 28% of the time they are online there is also a TV on. While the amount of time spent using both simultaneously has stayed consistent over the past year, the amount of people doing so has increased.

This brings up a question for television network execs – how to keep TV viewers [who are also surfing the Web] engaged. When Knight Rider premiered a couple seasons ago, they had a contest that incorporated both watching the show and answering questions online. The gist was every commercial break would start with a different question, something easy to remember like, “What color shirt was Michael wearing?” You had to log onto the website to submit your answer. If you got the question right you were entered in a sweepstakes to win a Mustang. It definitely kept me engaged-I mean who wouldn’t want to win a Mustang? Short of these types of contests, it will be interesting to see what is developed to keep viewers watching.

On the flip side of that, Vizio has taken their own approach in trying to connect the two media. The company recently announced a new line of TVs set to launch this fall that will incorporate some of the Web into the TV screens. Vizio and its partners are developing widgets for its VIA (Vizio Interactive Apps) Connected HDTVs. The TV will be able to access the widgets through a wireless connection or it will be hard wired to a network. Most importantly, accessing the widget will not interrupt the show playing on the screen. The TV also boasts a universal remote, which features a slide out QWERTY keyboard that has Bluetooth and infrared capabilities. Some of the companies signed on as partners with Vizio are Twitter, Facebook, eBay, Showtime, Flickr, Netflix, Yahoo and Vudu.

If this turns out to be as cool as it sounds, I’m going to be bummed I just bought a new Vizio without these capabilities.

For more information, this article includes a video about the TVs. It shows where the interactive menu will be and some of the partners involved. Additionally, learn more about our media planning agency and services.