5:20 PM -- Seems like a week can’t go by without Verizon or AT&T announcing some new suite of TV apps for FiOS or U-verse. From Twitter integration, to fantasy football, to multiview, these telcoTV providers are busily introducing the app culture to the TV experience.
Which led me to think: Where is the cable app experience? Is it just me, or does it seem to be lacking?
I find this cable app void somewhat surprising. I know there’s a lot of R&D taking place at CableLabs , and the platforms for cable app development are in place. Yet, to date, their apps are MIA. You would think a resource like CableLabs would give the cable industry an advantage. Perhaps they are lying in wait and will dazzle us all soon, leapfrogging their telco competitors. But for the time being, telcoTV seems to have the lead, with cable playing catch up.
Interested in learning more on this topic? Then come to TelcoTV 2009, the telecom industry’s premier event for the exploration of a comprehensive entertainment convergence strategy, to be staged in Orlando, Fla., November 10-12. For more information, or to register, click here.
Good points Jeff. It's kind of the classic case of the new entrant being more innovative than the incumbent. Cable did that on the phone side - they came in with a more innovative voice product and kicked some butt. That's why you see products like U-Verse Voice and FiOS Digital Voice now coming to the market.
I agree that cable's a laggard here...and will continue to be until they get around to deploying boxes with IP. VZ and AT&T long held that IPTV would give them a leg up on interactivity, and lo and behold, they were right. But cable's not standing still, either. Cablevison's a great example, but EBIF will give MSOs some limited interactivity that will apply to the entire universe of set-tops, but it won't look all that great because they have to make sure the app can work on the lowest common denominator box, which has the computational power of an Atari 2600. Tru2way stuff will look much better, but that's all part of the waiting game.
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