If you are interested the evolution of streaming media and how it intersects with smart TV, the industry guru to follow is Chief Analyst & Founder of nScreenMedia and Senior Analyst with The Diffusion Group Colin Dixon.
Colin recently wrote an nScreenMedia post “Rovi reveals social lacks impact in video discovery‘ where he credited Rovi’s attempt to pack interesting information into its Insight Series, but true to Colin’s inquisitive mind and vast subject knowledge, he zeroed in the reports most telling finding — specifically, when it comes to searching & discovering video content on tablets, smartphones, and by natural extension, smart TV.:
“The first thing to notice is that searching across multiple services and providing links to the videos in those services is rated most important across all countries (except Spain) and between tablets and phones. In the US, UK and Germany the difference between cross service search and preference/habits was huge: in Germany, nearly 4 times as many people rated cross service search “must have” over preference/habits.”
Understanding that video content is growing exponentially, mobile viewing of video content has hit an inflection point, and the transition to viewing streaming content on smart TVs is well underway, Colin astutely correlates Rovi’s findings to TV viewing:
“The interest in cross service search speaks to the increasing number of services consumers are starting plumb for something to watch on TV. For the people in this survey, figuring out which service carries the show or movie they want is becoming a major headache. The good news for consumers is that guide vendors are beginning to invest in this feature […]”
And we’re talking about a serious migraine. According to ABI, connected TV penetration in NA & W Europe will surge from just over 10% in 2011 to >50% by 2017.
Check out this video of what Colin has to say about Kannuu in the smart TV world:
In the quotes below, Colin Dixon puts Kannuu search & discovery in context for consumers, CE manufacturers, and operators competing to thrive in a smart TV world:
“Despite the proliferation of content creators and second screens, most consumers still prefer to watch video on the best display in the home: the large flat-screen TV in the living room. As the line between traditional broadcasting and streaming media continues to blur, and video content continues its exponential growth, improving the experience of searching for movies and TV programs in a smart TV environment becomes increasingly important. Kannuu eliminates the on-screen keyboard, a major stumbling block for consumers, by applying advanced search techniques and an intuitive interface that require virtually no learning curve from the user.”
“Eliminating the frustration inherent in searching for shows using the normal methods – such as the on-screen keyboard – should be high on the agenda for any operator. Innovative approaches like Kannuu hold the possibility of not only solving the problem but also making the search process fun. What better way to differentiate a TV service?”
“Media players are a simple solution for consumers to use to get the OTT content they want on to their television. But the dramatic increase in the quantity of content available OTT is making it increasingly difficult to navigate through existing CE interfaces. Approaches such as Kannuu can help by making the search and discovery process fast, easy and fun.”