How widgets will revolutionize TV

Part 1 of 6.

While many in the industry see widgets invading the television eventually – after TV providers work through other issues first – at least one analyst is bullish on the prospects for a variety of widgets to redefine the TV experience within the next few months. According to Michael Greeson, president of broadband advisory firm The Diffusion Group, widgets are the tipping point for interactive TV, and the tipping point has arrived.

In a January survey of adult broadband users in the United States, TDG found that 76% believe having a widget toolbar on their primary TV would be valuable. Nearly 30% called it extremely valuable, and only 11% were negative on the prospect. And these respondents were all more than 18 years of age, reacting to a concept thought to be most desirable amongst the younger generation. This overwhelming support is rare for new features and apps – consumers just seem to get the widget concept, Greeson said.

The widget movement has clearly already started in proprietary implementations. Verizon is ready to take is widget platform beyond the standard personalized sports, traffic, stock and weather information for its FiOS TV this month, and AT&T’s U-Verse platform has had similar push apps available via its U-Bar menu for some time now. Operator support, usually the last step for any new technology, is a reliable indicator that a movement is already upon the industry.

“An IPTV or fiber connection, by its nature, can easily support Internet connections,” Greeson said. “That is where you see interactivity emerging first. The operators are pushing for it, which means it has to be in the set-top boxes.”

One of TDG’s primary goals with the survey was to clear up what exactly a widget is and what it does. Asking a pure technology player, a software vendor, a hardware vendor and an operator will likely elicit four different responses, Greeson noted. But when it comes down to how a consumer views the technology and what they want from it, there was one common thread: the best widgets are those that leverage the power of the Web but do not replicate it.