Who’s in control of connected TV?

Google is the most recent brand to target the connected TV market, with its ‘Google TV’ offering announced earlier this month. The FT featured an interesting review of its hardware solutions this morning, raising the issue of navigation between TV and web services via both the user interface and TV hardware. Do consumers want a computer style keyboard to navigate connected TV services, or would they prefer a more traditional remote control?

One of the first Google-based products to reach the market requires a keyboard to navigate its interface but it’s unlikely that consumers want another piece of technology hardware cluttering up their sitting room when in other areas, technology devices are becoming increasingly streamlined.

Service providers should look to make the convergence of broadcast and broadband media as seamless as possible. This is an area that Dr Rob commented on in a previous blog earlier this year. It’s about quality not quantity, consumers don’t want more choices, they want better choices. As television becomes increasingly interactive, the key is to make navigating the features as simple as possible, to enable the customer to get the most out of their viewing experience.