Apps are becoming an increasingly important feature of the new television landscape.
That much quickly became clear at an event named Appsworld, which was held earlier this week in London. The insights it offered in a one-day conference on the subject were certainly useful and – more importantly – just as applicable in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as in the UK.
Perhaps the most telling prediction at the conference was that TV apps are likely to be found in over 500 million active devices worldwide in five years time. However, it should be borne in mind that those devices don’t only include TVs, but also other major platforms such as media players, Blu-ray, hybrid STBs and game consoles.
But what benefits are derived from TV apps? They are certainly a good marketing tool and – in the view of some speakers at the conference – should also be seen as a good way of building customer loyalty.
On the other hand, there is currently little or no direct financial benefit to be derived from them and this is unlikely to change in the near future.
It is also clear that even leading players in the TV industry, such as the UK’s BSkyB, Virgin Media and Freesat, don’t have all the answers in what is still a relatively new, though at the same time fast-changing sector.
So how do things look in CEE? While it would be impossible to list all the developments that have and are taking place, some that we have recently reported in Broadband TV News are certainly worth a mention. In Russia, for instance, CTC Media launched an iPad app for its main channel CTC, as well as an updated version of its iPhone app, late last month.
Meanwhile in the Czech Republic, we have reported in some length about the new media activities of the public broadcaster CT, which has enjoyed huge success with mobile apps and now expects to have its first app for HbbTV ready in spring next year.
In Poland, we have just seen an extension of the TVN Player app to a number of devices including iPad, iPhone, Sony PS3 and TVs/Blu rays from Sony and Panasonic.
Clearly there is already a lot happening in the TV app space in CEE and much more still to come.
