The broadcast groups involved in the Pearl group have announced that they will be testing interactive content and advertising services delivered to LG Smart TVs in three markets during live newscasts and that they will be demoing the idea at this year’s 2014 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
The move is an effort to capitalize on the growing availability of smart TVs that are connected to the internet and to use that connectivity to bring the interactivity of the online world to the TV set.
In their Global Digital Living Forecast Workbook from March 2014, Parks Associates estimates that the number of "smart TV" households in the U.S. will reach 42 million this year, representing 36% of all TV households.
Automatic content recognition has become an increasingly popular feature in smart TVs. Second screen and other applications rely on these content recognition capabilities to sync up second screen experiences with the live or recorded broadcasts.
Parks estimates that about one-third of smart TVs will be automatic content recognition (ACR) capable by the end of 2014 and that by 2018, a majority, 56%, of smart TV sets will be ACR-enabled.
From the article, "NAB: Local TV Stations to Test Interactive Services" by George Winslow.
