It’s no secret that there are already TV apps on the market. Are they going to work? Does the world really need them when we already have them on mobile gadgets? What’s the point in switching to Twitter during a show ad break when one can do that whilst still watching TV? If this becomes successful, what becomes of advertisers that are trying to reach that same audience through a TV ad? Is the birth of TV apps the death of TV advertising – the biggest revenue source for TV channels?
A lot of questions remain unanswered when it comes to TV apps. Perhaps what is needed is some sort of fine – tuning of the delivery format. TV apps that would probably work would be gaming ones – instead of a laptop or mobile screen the user will now have a bigger screen, even in HD which would make gamers happy. They could also work in the communications category where instead of the whole family trying to squeeze behind a laptop camera on a Skype video call, there’s more space and better visuals. But does this however mean future TVs will have cameras on them?
Better visuals on a bigger screen, access to all the information that users need in the comfort of their entertainment rooms and perhaps the element of bringing the family together instead of having kids stuck onto their mobile gadgets during family times are some of the benefits that could be derived from TV apps. Watch live TV for free on Redbox TV app.
But At What Cost?
An upgrade in an app would mean that developers have to work hard to meet the different specifications of all the different TV hardware and software out there? Is the investment really worth it when TVs get upgraded almost every year? Surely asking developers to match the different TV operating systems is a hard. But it could also mean that developers can now have more clients to service instead of just creating apps that they like – which would result in more revenue for them.
TV apps would shake the advertising sector so badly because of the loss of certain numbers of viewers during particular shows as those audiences will eventually start choosing when to watch a specific show, getting rid of advertising watching time to interact with friends or family on apps. How will companies feel about this? One could say they could then take their advertising to apps. However the downside to this is that, the same way ads are treated on mobiles will probably still be the same on TV apps. Besides the entertainment industry especially gaming, who else will win with TV apps? A lot of questions remain unanswered as the TV app industry has the potential to change things completely for the better for the user but could have really bad consequences on advertisers.
We will wait and see what happens next but so far, TV apps aren’t making strides as fast as the mobile apps. There’s definitely some hesitancy in the market.
Do you think TV apps will be the next future for app developer? We would be glad to know what app developers think.