Michael's Insight

Google TV Ads now available on Cox and Suddenlink

Cox, Suddenlink Join Google TV Ad Network [Multichannel News]

Google TV Ads is a service that was launched in 2008 to allow advertisers to buy TV ad availability from cable and satellite providers and then target ads based on the viewing data it collects. 

It's a new way of handling television ad buys. For example, companies looking to advertise on television can go through Google TV Ads and pay strictly based on the number of impressions that a particular ad receives.

Since it was launched Google has attempted to partner with the various cable and satellite providers so that its ad network would reach more and more viewers. When it began, Google was only working with Dish Networks, but it has since added DirecTV, Verizon FiOS and Viamedia. Each network that Google partners with means more inventory that it can sell on behalf of these providers to potential ad buyers. Until recently, Google had yet to ink a deal with a major cable provider.

Google TV Ads can now say they have cable providers on board, since they have added Cox Communications and Suddenlink Communications to its network – adding roughly 42 million new households in the U.S.

Peel releases second version of mobile app

Peel Launches New Social TV App For iOS [Tech Crunch]

Peel is the company that manufactures small pear-shaped devices that connect a cable set-top box to a smartphone via a broadband connection. Along with the device, Peel has a corresponding app that allows users to fully control their cable television.

The first version of the app was most useful for users with the Peel device. It would allow users to control their TV and also acted as a guide for their channel lineup. The new version (Peel 2.0) adds a number of features – primarily social features – that can be used even without the Peel device to see what others on social networks are watching.

With Peel 2.0 users can still use all the device-specific controls and organize the shows based on genre – a feature also available in the first version. However, users can also see Peel's "Top Picks" which offers personalized suggestions for TV viewing. Users can also connect your social networks – Facebook, Twitter, etc. – to see the shows friends are watching. Users can also recommend programs to their friends and contacts.

Peel 2.0 is available for free from the iTunes Store. The new version is not yet available on Android.

iOS increases market share at end of 2011

iOS Market Share Up From 26% In Q3 To 43% In Oct/Nov 2011 [Tech Crunch] 

Back in the third quarter of 2011, Android was making big gains in the smartphone market. Android had 60% of the smartphone market share to iOS's 26%. Apple has turned things around quickly, however, and by October/November of 2011 its market share jumped to 43%, while Android fell to 47% - an overall swing of 30%.

While Android and iOS trade blows back and forth it's becoming more and more clear that the smartphone market is simply a two-horse race. RIM continues to decline and now controls only about 6% of the market. Windows Phone 7 and all others have even smaller percentages. On Christmas Day alone, 6.8 million Android and iOS devices were activated.

Despite the fluctuation in market share, the overall smartphone market is booming. Nine of the top 10 phones sold in October and November were smartphones (the top three are the three latest version of Apple's iPhone). And now, two out of every three mobile phones purchased are smartphones. In the fourth quarter of 2010 only around 50% of all purchases were smartphones.

Nielsen study further illustrates gap between online video and traditional TV viewing

How People Watch TV Online And Off [Tech Crunch]

Although web video is growing, it still pales in comparison to the viewership numbers of traditional TV. Nielsen has released a study analyzing data from throughout 2011 that shows the average American watches 32 hours and 47 minutes of traditional TV each week. On the other hand, Americans spend under 4 hours a week online – and only about 27 minutes a week watching video online. Overall, only 1.4% of all video viewing is taking place online.

These numbers include all video sites. For instance, although it's not even in the top five video sites in terms of unique viewers, Netflix dominates online video in terms of time spent viewing content online with over 10 minutes per month, averaged across the entire U.S. population. The next closest video site is YouTube with 2:52 per month. Traditional TV gets roughly 130 hours per month, so while the gap between TV and Netflix is still fairly significant, it's nowhere near as wide as the gap between TV and overall online video viewing.

LG announces broadband connected refrigerator and vacuum cleaner at CES

Talking to the Television to Tune In a Show [New York Times]

Consumer electronics manufacturers are out in force at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, happening this week in Las Vegas. Among the myriad of new product announcements comes several new appliances and televisions from LG that leverage broaband connections in new features.

For starters, LG has a new TV with a remote that responds to spoken commands. There's a new LG refrigerator keeps track of what's inside and can let you know when you're out of milk, and there's a LG vacuum cleaner that can be controlled via a smartphone application. All of them make use of a broadband connection via wi-fi.

Stay tuned for updates as other companies annouce reveals of products for the upcoming year at CES.

Study indicates newest iPhone has doubled data usage

iPhone Data Usage Has Doubled Because Of Siri [Silicon Alley Insider]

Mobile network software firm Arieso has released a study that indicates the newest iPhone model is the source of twice as much data usage as previous models, on average. The reason for the increased data consumption? It's Siri, Apple's voice recognition personal assistant interface.

Siri, which was unveiled as a new feature for the iPhone 4S, translates spoken commands into actions on the iPhone. For instance, a user can ask what the weather will be like tomorrow, and the phone queries the Internet to determine the conditions for the user's current location and reads those back to the user.

That action contains multiple data transmissions. The user's audio is uploaded to Siri's data processing servers, converting the speech to a command. In order to execute the command, weather data is downloaded.

Arieso compiled its study of iPhone data usage by measuring over 1 million iPhone users on an undisclosed European provider.

Deloitte study overestimates number of customers dropping cable television

Where Did Nine Million Cable Subscribers Go? [All Things D] 

A recent survey conducted by Deloitte attempts to put some definition to the number of cable customers that are dropping traditional cable television for online video. 

Deloitte's survey found that 20% of respondents either have cut the cord or might cut the cord in the near future and rely solely on Netflix, iTunes or other over-the-top video sources. Nine percent claimed to have already cut the cord, while 11 percent say they may do so soon.

Deloitte has expanded its survey results and claims that 9 million people have recently stopped paying for TV programming. The problem with that theory is that the cable industry's subscriber numbers for the past year don't reflect that or anything close to it. 

Deloitte hasn't yet responded to All Things D's request for clarification about the discrepancy in the numbers. 

 

Google TV set-tops to switch from Intel to ARM-based chips

Google Ditches Intel For Next Generation Of Google TV Boxes [Silicon Alley Insider]

A new line of Google TV boxes are set to be unveiled at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show featuring several archtecture changes.

The new boxes will no longer have chips supplied by Intel, which powered Logitech's Revue Google TV set-top. Google is reportedly switching to new ARM-based chips from Marvell.

The new chips will allegedly make the new boxes less expensive and faster than the previous boxes. They will also allow the boxes to cool down more quickly and make less noise by eliminating the need for fans to cool down the processor.

Finally, the boxes will also be 3D-ready and will include upscaling technology to make standard definition TV look better than normal.

This year's CES will be held January 10-13 in Las Vegas. Expect several television manufactuers to unveil their Google TV powered TVs.

Roku to release plug-in streaming option for televisions

Roku shrinks its box, puts it on an MHL thumb drive [GigaOM]

Video streaming box company Roku is launching a new line of "Streaming Stick" products. With this product, users can plug a USB stick-like device into a special HDMI port on their TV to access online video content just as they would with a Roku set-top. Roku is working together with Best Buy to offer the Streaming Stick together with Best Buy's Insignia brand TV's and will also offer the Roku separately starting this coming fall.

The Streaming Stick uses a Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) display port, which was initially designed to connect cell phones to televisions. MHL allows users to control the Roku with their own remote control and also powers the Streaming Stick, eliminating the need for any power adapter for the device.  The stick also contains built-in Wi-Fi to access broadband.

The problem with the MHL port (and, thus, the Roku Streaming Stick) is that it is still a fairly new technology and is not available on many TV's yet. Of course, many new TV's are already equipped with internet connectivity and a number of video streaming apps, eliminating the need for a separate Streaming Stick. According to Roku CEO Anthony Wood, Roku is targeting lower-priced TV's that aren't normally equipped with video streaming options.

Google demotes results for Chrome after paid link campaign

Google demotes Chrome in search results after violating own paid links policy [Ars Technica] 

If you search Google for "Chrome" or "browser" in the next 60 days, Google's Chrome browser won't be among the top results and may not even be on the first page. The browser has been demoted in Google's own search results after accusations arose claiming Google violated its own policy against paid links. 

One of the ways a site can work its way up in Google search results is through links on other sites. Recent reports have revealed that Google paid for hundreds of blog posts that were nothing more than advertisements of Chrome. Google has frowned on paid sponsorships on blogs or other sites to promote search ranking.

Google hired an advertising firm named Unruly Media, which ran the campaign that included the paid blog posts. The search giant claims it never agreed to anything beyond online ads. Despite claiming they did not authorize the action, Google has taken action on the results for Chrome, demoting them for the next two months.

Chrome used to be the second result in a search for "browser" behind a result for Firefox, but is no longer in the top results. A search for "Chrome" doesn't provide a link to Google Chrome until the second page of results, but the first result still is a link to a guide for how to download and install the Google Chrome browser.

Users spend twice as much time viewing Netflix videos than Hulu

People Spend Twice As Much Time On Netflix Than On Hulu [TechCrunch]

Around November of 2010, Netflix began to separate itself from Hulu in the market for mainstream TV and movie video streaming. In the latest comScore report for November 2011, Netflix attracted 6.4 million more unique visitors than Hulu – 26.2 million to Hulu's 20.2 million. 

In November 2011, roughly 1 billion minutes were spent watching Netflix videos in the U.S. Hulu, on the other hand, only had 480 million minutes of video streaming in November.

Much of this growth for Netflix can be attributed to Hulu's push toward HuluPlus – a paid subscription service. While there may be fewer minutes spent watching videos, more people are now paying to watch Hulu videos. 

The biggest jump for Netflix in terms of time spent watching videos occurred at the same time of the now-infamous Netflix price increases. In September of 2011, while Netflix was increasing its prices, it saw a jump from 820 million minutes to 1.03 billion.

Google+ continues to add users

Google+ Now Up to 62 Million Users, Adding 625,000 a Day [Mashable]

It's unclear whether its Google's new commercials, the holiday season, or just continued word-of-mouth, but Google+ - the search giant's social network - is growing, at least in terms of overall membership. 

According to a new study, Google+ now has over 62 million users and is adding another 625,000 each day. This trend of rapid growth has developed over the past several weeks.

The study was done by Paul Allen, who founded Ancestry.com. The process he used for the study involved running hundreds of queries on last names that had been tracked since July. His results show that Google+ will hit 100 million members by February 25, assuming growth continues along the same trajectory. By this time next year, over 300 million people will be on Google+. 

Allen's study does not look into how active members of Google+ are once they're signed up for the network. However, Hitwise has tracked overall Google+ visits and found that during the week ending December 17, Google+ hit 9.4 million site visits. That was an increase over November's activity, but was far below the 15 million hits Google+ received back in September when the site was first opened to the public.

Holiday spending online in 2011 jumps 15 percent

comScore: U.S. Online Holiday Spending Up 15% To Record $35.3 Billion [TechCrunch]

New numbers from comScore are out showing record increases for online shopping during the 2011 holiday season. Through the first 56 days of the holiday season (November – December) people spent a record 15% more shopping online than in 2010. The result was roughly $35.3 billion in online sales.

In the week leading up to Christmas, $2.8 billion was spent shopping online – 16% more than was spent in 2010. Additionally, "Cyber Monday" lived up to the hype as $1.25 billion was spent shopping online that day alone. Other popular holiday online shopping days "Green Monday" (Dec. 12th) and "Free Shipping Day" (Dec. 16th) cracked the $1 billion spending mark for a single day.  Sales were so heavy during the holiday season, Best Buy had to inform some customers that they were unable to fulfill some orders before Christmas.

Another growing online shopping trend is the number of online subscriptions and digital downloads that take place on Christmas Day, as people begin playing with their new smartphones, tablets, computers, etc. On an average day in 2011, digital downloads and subscriptions made up 2.8% of all online sales, but on Christmas Day over 20% of online sales were digital downloads and subscriptions.

HDTV prices hit new lows in 2011

HDTV Prices Drop To Record Lows: Analyst [Multichannel News]

Good news for consumers.  When the final numbers come in for the fourth quarter of 2011 the prices of HDTV's will have hit a new low, analysts from NPD DisplaySearch are estimating.

According to projections, all 32-inch sets will be below $500 and all LCD TV's under 46 inches will be under $1,000. These are record lows for HDTV prices.

These drastic price reductions were a common theme throughout all of 2011. Early in 2011 the increased investments of past years, coupled with a slowing demand from consumers, led to many manufacturers having HDTV surpluses. Companies began slashing prices to get their products off the shelves.

When the holiday season came around, consumers expected even greater price drops for holiday shopping specials. The result, according to NPD DisplaySearch, is record low prices.

According to the analysts 2012 will not see price drops as drastic as 2011. In fact, LCD and plasma sets may even gradually increase in price in the second half of the year as new models come to market. LED TV's are supposed to drop this year, but not as drastically as other HDTV's dropped in 2011.

Some Logitech Google TV set-tops shipping with corrupt firmware

Logitech Revue’s are coming out of the box with tainted Firmware [Andronica]

Add this to the list for the problem-plagued Logitech Revue set-top, the first set-top device to run Google TV. After poor sales of the device led to a decision to discount and discontinue it, it turns out that many of the devices sold at the reduced price had a problem with the firmware.

When a user starts up a Revue device with corrupted firmware, the device's setup routine refues to authenticate with Google's servers, rendering it inoperable.

Logitech has acknowledged the problem, but the only solution for users with a problem Reveue is to return it for an exchange.

Due to poor sales of the Revue, Logitech has already announced it is getting out of the Google TV business.

Super Bowl to be streamed online for the first time

The Super Bowl Will Be Streamed Live Online By NBC For The First Time Ever [Silicon Alley Insider]

For the first time ever, America's most popular television event - the Super Bowl - will be streamed live online.  NBC, the broadcast network with the rights to this year's television broadcast of the Super Bowl, has announced that the game will be shown in its entirely live online.

The game will be available on both the NBC and NFL websites.

This isn't a first for NBC, which streams each of its Sunday Night Football regular season games. Interestingly, while some may wonder if offering live streaming would affect the viewership of the television broadcast, Sunday Night Football games are among highest rated television events, despite being offered online as well.