Widget Channel Unveiled By Yahoo and Intel

Posted by Katie Brunt at 2:37pm on the 29th August 2008

Yahoo and Intel have just unveiled plans to make a television “Widget Channel” allowing online features to be added to shows and advertising. Quoted as the end of TV as a “passive experience” this move could prompt some very exciting opportunities for advertising, e-commerce and media planning.

It will be interesting to see how and when these features such as following a sports team or chatting with friends will appear without compromising the viewing experience. The move is an indication of how consumption and buying behaviours are changing. E-commerce will greatly benefit from applications such as this, which offer new channels of opportunity to sell and communicate with their consumers.

A precise launch date has yet to be determined, but the list of companies developing widgets for the channel includes Twitter, Toshiba, Samsung, eBay, CBS, Blockbuster and Disney-ABC Television Group.

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