Mar 10
1
TV Learns a Thing or Two About User-Generated Apps from Apple
The iPhone leapt to popularity in part due to the user-generated applications that made owning an iPhone a fun and interactive opportunity.
Those who might not otherwise have been persuaded, leapt on the bandwagon when they found out about a particular application that they really wanted to have – and with over 65,000 apps generated, there was bound to be something for everyone.
Now TV networks are taking the same strategy and trying to apply it to their offerings in hopes of keeping TV in the loop as media changes rapidly. TV has been a famously non-interactive experience, and many would tell you that’s part of its appeal.
Companies are experimenting with the idea that TV watching should be as interactive and social an activity as using a social media channel or Tweeting the latest on Twitter.
TV has been offering their viewers the chance to get news articles and other interactive media tailored to their needs for some time, and they’re also toying with the idea of allowing viewers to interact with one another as their favorite shows are playing; all the people watching House M.D., for example, could open an application that allows them to chat about what just happened on the show.
By opening up the field to user applications, TV networks hope to discover, just as Apple did, a few services they weren’t even aware their viewers wanted in a service – and then use those new applications for ad revenue, and to keep their own relevance high.
