-- Kids mobile platform to feature on Smart TV s --
Fri, 09 Jan 2015 10:14
--
Kido z, a mobile platform for millions of kids worldwide, and Hisense Electric Co. Ltd, the world s fourth largest television brand and a leader in digital television system integration, are pleased to announce today their partnership to bring Kido z technology to Hisense Smart TVs, tablets and smartphones.
After a demonstrated success on web and mobile platforms, Kido z is expanding its entertainment solution to include Smart TVs, and has partnered with Hisense for a worldwide launch. The family-friendly Kido z powered devices will be sold initially in Mexico, South Africa, South America, the Middle East and more.
Smart TV sales are projected to grow 67% within the next two years and reach over 244M units worldwide1, according to market research firm Frost & Sullivan. Hisense s tradition of innovation and cutting-edge products has made it a spearhead of consumer electronics technology, and a leader in the Smart TV space. Kido z technology will allow Hisense to bring a safe lean-back experience for families around the globe - delivering personalised, safe and educational content from Kido z ever-growing library to millions of households.
While mobile usage time among children has tripled over the last 2 years, the better part of screen time is still spent in front of the TV, says Gai Havkin, Kido z founder and CEO. Expanding into Smart TVs was a natural evolution for Kido z, as part of our mission to meet kids wherever they are. Partnering with Hisense to launch our Smart TV solution is the perfect match to deliver Kido z technology on high-end, innovative devices to millions of families around the world.
Related Articles
US consumers express growing interest in 4K technology
An HDTV-focused consumer survey conducted by the Leichtman Research Group (LRG), which based its study on feedback from 1,231 US households, has revealed a growing consumer interest in 4K television sets and devices.
The survey confirmed feelings from TV manufacturers that the market for HDTV s is saturated, reporting that 77% of US homes have an HDTV set, and 46% have several HDTVs. It also revealed that interest in 4K technology is growing, with 28% of adults who have seen a 4K set as well as 15% of all who have heard of 4K/Ultra HD are very interested in obtaining the technology.
LRG was also able to report that 14% of homes have an internet connected smart TV.
Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG, said: At the same time that consumers are acquiring an increasing number of devices that allow them to watch video anywhere and anytime, television sets in the home are getting bigger and better. Nearly 60% of TV sets used in US households are now HD sets, up from less than 20% just five years ago.
Smart TV for dummies Erin Brooks Creative Director, Draftfcb Johannesburg
My TV is headed for recycling. Not because it s broken but because it s obsolete. My four-year-old Full HD LED TV is outdated. In 2014 I need a Smart TV because the internet is going into everything, and TV is going online. As a result, television is fundamentally changing, including how and where we watch it, and before long, how we advertise on it will have to change too.
No sooner have we grasped third-screen behaviour (FYI: first screen is TV, second is PC and third is mobile), now we have to wrap our heads around internet TV. While South Africa is still a little way off due to the speed of our internet connections, it s coming and it s going to forever change how we approach that jewel in the crown of above-the-line advertising, the television commercial.
Since 1941 (or since 1976 in SA), television has helped companies take their products straight into the living rooms of millions of customers. Although the conversation was entirely one-sided, brands were born, lived and died by their TV ads. Then came the PC with internet and suddenly customers could talk back to companies, and marketing got a lot more social.
Then our cellphones got smart, and now having internet in my pocket 24/7 feels like a human right. If I m watching a TV ad and I want to know more, I just pull out my smartphone and boom. Buy. I ll be in Woolies and see a special on baby leeks. I pull out my phone, search leek recipes and boom. Quiche.
Now it s TV s turn to change and that change is just over the horizon. Let s start with our viewing behaviour. Binge-watch was a 2013 finalist in the Oxford Dictionary s word of the year. Why? Because we re all doing it: gorging ourselves on all 12 episodes of our favourite show in one sitting. It s become a favourite weekend pastime for Jozi s overworked professionals.
And one distribution company was ahead of the curve in meeting this demand. Last year saw Netflix do a full season release of shows such as House of Cards and Arrested Development. It must have worked for them, because they re releasing House of Cards Season 2 the same way.
So how will TV advertising change when we re all watching our Smart TVs stream day-long sessions of our favourite shows? It s probably going to have to get a lot better. Currently, internet TV advertising is an un-exciting mix of banners and video ads, although some sites in place of commercial breaks, play a single 30- second commercial. No pressure.
More than ever, we re going to have to make TV ads that people want to watch, ads people talk about and share. That s why at Draftfcb we rate our ads according to share-worthiness , because in a 14-hour marathon of House of Cards, we ll not only have to get customers to watch our ad, we ll have to ensure they remember it too.
I m off to buy a new TV before the weekend.
Tracking pay-TV in Africa
According to research recently published by Futuresource Consulting, global pay-TV decoder shipments are growing, although
