By Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo (stand 39)

Social TV is one of the most promising categories of TV apps, however it comes with a number of challenges. If done well, it provides a wealth of opportunities for operators, device manufacturers, and content providers alike. Indeed, we truly believe that Social TV can and will be a runaway success if developers and broadcasters approach it in the right way.

Here are our top tips for creating the best social TV apps around:

1. Consumption, not production

The TV is a completely different environment than the PC. Although that seems fairly obvious, it is something, which is often forgotten. In the social TV app environment, users are generally looking to stay in touch with friends whilst watching TV, but they are not on the whole interested writing messages or using other features, which require lots of interaction. Almost exclusively, the TV usage is consumption of social feeds and content rather than the production of such content. This philosophy should also be applied to Social TV apps and at Accedo we’re working hard to bring generation two of social TV apps to the market.

2. Connections with personal media content

Of course, staying up to date with messages from friends, contacts and connections directly on the TV is a good application but it is unlikely to radically change consumer behaviour. By including media content, such as photos and video, the app can instantly become much more compelling. Imagine being able to view photos and videos instantaneously on the TV screen when friends upload them. Remember, with the increased broadband speeds and the improved chipset performance, the possibility of accessing such content in high quality will only increase and it’s not difficult to imagine “social TV channels” being sent to friends via new forms of apps.

3. Contextual Social TV will be the real winner

The TV is a social experience, and can almost be likened to the modern campfire. However, increasingly, consumers are viewing alone and social media gives them the opportunity to interact with friends and family who are not in the living room with them. For most social media users, the convenience of a personal device outweigh the benefit of a TV application and the vast majority of the personal communication aspects of social media will take place through other devices than the TV.

Contextual applications however can enable consumers, who sign in to watch the same programme, interact with each other. It would even be possible to allow those consumers to be part of the programme format itself. The first contextual applications will likely be voting and ratings for music shows, talent shows and reality shows, but the innovation possibilities are endless.

Accedo will be exhibiting at this year’s Apps World Europe event and will be on stand 39. To book your free exhibition pass please click here.

Related articles

• #AppsWorld: Who will benefit from the rise of #TVapps? (apps-world.net)
• TV apps moving into the mainstream – #AppsWorld Europe (apps-world.net)

Capablue will be exhibiting this year at Apps World, Olympia at Stand 124 (29th-30th November).

They will be using the event to demonstrate several connected TV apps on their Capablue Connected platform, including the recently launched Karaoke Superstar Connected TV app. This is the UK’s first Connected TV app to have integrated Paypal payment, and provides an extensive playlist of tracks from favourite classic artists and all time classics to the latest chart hits.

CEO of Capablue Tom Cape will be speaking as part of the one day TV apps track at Apps World. He will be part of the first session on 30^th November focussed on an overview of the TV apps market a year on from its initial development. The session explores the challenges and opportunities the market has created and the direction it is taking. If you’d like to attend the session and the other workshops at Apps World you can register here.

If you’d like to book a time to meet with Capablue please get in contact with them at info@capablue.com they will be at stand 124

Related articles

• TV apps moving into the mainstream – #AppsWorld Europe (apps-world.net)
• Win a full access pass to #AppsWorld Europe (apps-world.net)
• #AppsWorld: Who will benefit from the rise of #TVapps? (apps-world.net)

While we haven’t really yet seen the TV Apps trend take off into the stratosphere like we’ve been expecting, there’s little doubt in the industry that when connected TV hits the mainstream, it’s going to usher in a seismic industry shakeup.

At Apps World Europe at London Olympia on 29-30 November, we’re dedicating a whole day’s conference track to the subject of TV apps, answering key burning questions, including where is the industry headed; who’s driving growth; what does it mean for developers, broadcasters, operators and marketers; and who will be left holding all the cards when the dust finally settles?

AppsWorld Blog caught up with a man who has a better insight into these questions than most, Andy Eardley, director of the international TV app development specialist company, The TV App Agency. They specialise in cross platform software and app development and app store submission, helping businesses get onto connected TV.

How big an impact will TV apps make on the industry?

Eardley explains how the consumer will be able to define what they want to watch and when, with catch up TV on demand soon to be accessible. “They are very few apps out there for connected TV at the moment,” he says. “But this is going to be a huge revolution as we’re going to get consumers new content available.

“It’s really going to shake up TV and the whole broadcast space in the same way that apps are shaking up the mobile phone world.”

Eardley’s top TV app challenges for developers

• Fragmentation – Different operating systems released each year means your app will have to be updated each time to suit.
• Approval – Getting your app approved could take as long as a month, as each TV manufacturer has its own process to go through.

Top tips for TV app strategy

• Shared experiences – Defining whether your app is ‘personal’ or ‘shared’ will help your strategy into which device to work with. Images and video tend to be seen as a shared experience, which belongs on a TV. Ensure that the content is what people want and if it looks good on TV.
• Experience – Don’t make your app too big to begin with or focus on the end result. Build up the app, start with version one and get it live on TV. You can then improve your app as you start to get data and work on version two, three and so on.
• Examples – Ask people for examples to see if they can build TV apps before working with them. Many people know how to build apps but very few are doing it, so have a look at what they can do.
• Efficience – Find out what tools are available to make your app accessible on a multitude of platforms, because apps need to be developed for large access.

Businesses can use TV apps to market and monetise their brand or products. It gives them the ability to build their own TV channel, and potentially open up premium subscriptions. Once consumers have used a free app, businesses can give them the opportunity to upgrade and pay for a premium app. In-app purchases are also looking to be a big opportunity, where sectors can promote services within the app, and consumers can make purchases through the app.

“Each manufacturer has a different operating system released each year, and that’s one of the biggest challenges that developers will find,” says Eardley. “They’ll look at it and think they have to develop their app for all these different devices: how do I resolve this and get my head around all these? This is one of the things we’ve solved and we’ll talk about it at Apps World”

If you want to learn more about the benefits to be gained from the TV apps trend, Andy Eardley will be appearing at Apps World Europe on 29-30 November alongside a host of experts representing some of the industry’s leading brands. For more information on how to attend, visit the Apps World website.

With Google announcing in May that Google TV devices would soon be able to access customised apps through Android Market, giving developers the opportunity to make and sell TV apps, the world of internet-connected TV is set to take off. Google TV will be hosting free developers’ workshops at Apps World N.America to offer their insight on how to explore the challenges of this new technology. Connected TV will offer consumers virtually limitless access to content by bringing the internet straight into your living room. Here are some of the key changes to the home entertainment experience as a result of the development of internet-connected TV.

Making television social
In a recent survey by Yahoo! Connected TV 28% of women said they wanted to include their friends via social media when watching TV, the integration of social media as part of the viewing experience is surely the natural progression from the current social media interaction with TV that takes place using programme hashtags and fan pages for viewers to discuss shows as they watch them. Connected TV will allow broadcast and social experiences to blend in a more seamless way and this will be a natural development from the way people are currently using there smartphones and tablet devices to interact on Twitter or Google their favourite actor whilst they watch their favourite shows.

The next generation of TV advertising
Connected TV will allow viewers to simultaneously pull up more information about products being advertised whilst watching an advert, imagine a company distributing a standard car advert and adding an option for connected viewers to pull up more information or reviews about the car all with one click of a remote control. Yahoo! Connected TV found that over 50% of people surveyed would  be likely to interact with an advert if given the choice. Connected TV will also mean advertisements can become more locally relevant and interest based to make them more tailored and personalised to the individual.

Syncing the web with live TV
Known as “Broadcast interactivity” in the industry syncing web content with live TV means relevant and personalised content can be pushed through to the consumer, rather than the consumer pulling information out by downloading certain apps and finding the info they are looking for. The types of opportunities viewers will be offered as a result of syncing will be things like voting for their favourite actor, purchasing items they see on the TV, playing along with their favourite game show or viewing related videos and pictures just to suggest a few.

T-commerce
The other big opportunity with connected TV will be TV purchases. We’re not just talking about being able to browse through eBay and Amazon and make a purchase but to also be able to instantly snap up that handbag your favourite character is carrying and then browse the menu at your local takeaway and place an order for home delivery all whilst still watching TV.

The good news for consumers is that these developments are already in motion, internet connected TVs have already entered the market with some apps ready for download. The questions on the lips of the industry right now are how big is this market going to become? What new opportunities will it create for marketing and branding professionals? And who will be the driving force for TV app store competition?

Apps World North America in New York on 1-2 November has an entire section of its agenda dedicated to helping answer those questions with speakers from Google TV, NBC and KIT digital and Apps World Europe (London 29-30 November) has an entire day of the agenda dedicated to TV apps.

Check out the full agenda here and register for your pass today.

App developers travelling to Apps World Asia in Singapore this week could be in for much more than an excellent two days of industry insight and networking, they could walk away with hundreds of dollars worth of free PR services from the app marketing and PR specialist Appsynth.

Appsynth’s industry publicity experts will be combing the Apps World show, searching for the best new app to announce to the international apps and technology community. Their winning app will be selected based on what they anticipate will be the most interesting and newsworthy for the global app media.Based between Bangkok and London, Appsynth is leveraging its worldwide contacts and footprint in Asia to position itself as the foremost global launch-pad for apps in the region. The company also offers a host of marketing services in addition to PR, such as App Store optimization and managed ad campaigns.

To be in with a chance of securing this free publicity, send details of your application, what it does, how it’s innovative and why it’s news-worthy to Appsynth before the end of the event. The winner will be announced next week. Appsynth can be reached by email at info@appsynth.net or via Twitter at @Appsynth.

Appsynth also develops its own applications for international clients and so are always on the lookout for new developer talent. Get in touch with them if this is you. If you’d like to speak to Appsynth at the event and discuss the services they offer, the company MD Bob Gallagher will be attending and can be reached at bob@appsynth.net.

Apps World (www.apps-world.net), which runs from the  30th of Nov – 1st of December at Olympia, London, is one of the first events to cover the emerging global TV App Store marketplace.  Apps World closely examines how Pay TV and consumer electronics companies have already started to integrate app store models into their services, and how open developer models can open new market ecosystems and revenue streams for content providers.

Leaders in the Pay TV market will be discussing the next generation of TV App Store at Apps World.  TV Apps are a logical extension of the smartphone world, and an app store on the TV could revolutionise how we watch and engage with TV content and finally resolve consumer demand for a-la-carte programming.  The question is whether operators will embrace them or get cut out of the equation altogether.

Leading CE companies, Pay TV operators, IPTV service and technology providers – and broadcasters – will be debating the role apps will play in driving content for the TV.  What’s more, Apps World is the perfect place to look at multi-platform app models with tracks for mobile apps and multi-platform app development for developers targeting TVs, mobile devices, tablets and PCs.

Apps World will examine the competitive dynamics between stakeholders in the TV market, with many speculating that Pay TV operators will have to act quickly if they are looking to sign up independent developers before consumer electronics companies lay claim to the opportunity to leverage their own brands in this space.

Speakers at the Apps World event on the TV App stream include:
•    Jaskirat Singh Gill, General Manager – Entertainment, Bharti Airtel Limited
•    Loo Cheng Chuan, Principal, SingTel Idea Factory
•    Dr. Randolph Nikutta, Leader New Media, Innovation Development, Deutsche Telekom
•    Gerry Gouy, Global Senior Director, MTV Networks
•    Richard Kastelein, Founder/Editor, App Market TV
•    David Gibbs, General Manager Mobile, BSkyB

The full event agenda can be found at www.apps-world.net/workshops/agenda

“With various device manufacturers announcing centralised app stores for TVs, mobile phones and other devices, the next generation of multi-platform app store is emerging” commented Ian Johnson, MD Six Degrees Events.”Connected apps stores are already revolutionising the TV industry, and bring into debate a number of different models and if the TV app store will remain a controlled environment, or go for a more open developer model?”

The Apps World exhibition is free, and delegates interested in attending the TV Apps workshop track can book online for only £225 at -www.apps-world.net/register/workshop-registration

Connect with the event:
•    Twitter – twitter.com/apps_world
•    Linkedin – www.linkedin.com
•    Six Degrees also run the Social Media World Forum events – www.socialmedia-forum.com

Application stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads in 2010

App Store

Consumers will spend $6.2 billion in 2010 in mobile application stores while advertising revenue is expected to generate $0.6 billion worldwide, according to Gartner. Analysts said mobile application stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads in 2010, eight out of ten of which will be free to end users.

Gartner forecasts worldwide downloads in mobile application stores to surpass 21.6 billion by 2013. Free downloads will account for 82 per cent of all downloads in 2010, and will account for 87 per cent of downloads in 2013.

“As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads,” said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. “Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money.”

An application can be free because the developer is offering it at no cost to the consumer while charging for other things within the application. There are also applications that are free to use but that charge for physical goods that you can have delivered through the application. There are many applications that are free to users and derive their revenue from advertising. This can be done with banners as well as full page advertising between game levels for instance.

Worldwide mobile application stores’ download revenue exceeded $4.2 billion in 2009 and will grow to $29.5 billion by the end of 2013. This revenue forecast includes end-user spending on paid-for applications and advertising-sponsored free applications. Advertising-sponsored mobile applications will generate almost 25 per cent of mobile application stores revenue by 2013.

High-end smartphone users today tend to be early adopters of new mobile applications and more trustful of billing mechanisms, so they will pay for applications that can meet their needs. Average smartphone users will become less tech-savvy as smartphones come down in price to have a mass market appeal and these users will be more reluctant to pay for applications.

“Growth in smartphone sales will not necessarily mean that consumers will spend more money, but it will widen the addressable market for an offering that will be advertising-funded,” Ms Baghdassarian added. “The value chain of the application stores will evolve as rules are set and broken in an attempt to find the most profitable business model for all parties involved.”

“Application stores will be a core focus throughout 2010 for the mobile industry and applications themselves will help determine the winner among mobile devices platforms,” said Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner. “Consumers will have a wide choice of stores and will seek the ones that make it easy for them to discover applications they are interested in and make it easy to pay for them when they have to. Developers will have to consider carefully not only which platform to support but also which store to promote their applications in.”

There’s been some useful discussion recently about using the app store model for distributing enterprise software and services within organizations. Up until now, most IT needs in the majority of businesses have been met through one-size-fits-all delivery of solutions that are either hand-crafted or purchased and then imposed on all. It’s been this way for at least three decades, but now this aging and inadequate process is beginning to improve.

The premise of an app store model for enterprises is simple: By removing the middleman, the famous bottleneck between the business and IT demand can be reduced in many cases. Application backlogs can shrink, consumption of internal and external IT resources will increase, and fierce competition to provide the best solutions to niches can greatly improve overall quality (the long tail of IT argument), all while reducing costs. At least, that’s what is possible if we look at what’s happening to the non-enterprise software market today.

Related: The app store: A “must-have” new digital business model

Fellow Enterprise Irregular Jevon MacDonald posits this as a likely outcome of the emerging Personal Enterprise. Current trends involving the mass personalization of services and the consumeration of enterprise IT have come together and resulted in ready-to-use catalogs of IT solutions that are much easier to acquire and consume today than they from traditional channels. Jevon cites Force.com, Intuit Marketplace and Get App as current examples of app stores for enterprises and SMBs, to which I’d definitely add IBM’s Smart Market. Google is even rumored to be ready to release an enterprise app store of its own soon.

Distributing SOA, SaaS, & Mashups with The Enterprise App Store

Even the Web itself has become a sort of ad hoc app store writ large in the cloud with thousands of SaaS applications available today that most enterprise users can acquire and use with little or no provisioning or support from IT.

In this view, monolithic enterprise deployments become rarer and IT solutions begin to look more like their counterparts online: smaller, more specific apps that fit the local conditions better (and are usually cheaper too). That this might actually happen is evidenced not only by the already existing enterprise app stores today but by the work currently going into rethinking of IT in terms of emergent enterprise architecture (intentionally) and the growing use of shadow applications in the cloud (grassroots).

App Stores: Not Just For Apps

ebizQ’s own Joe McKendrick recently explored the app store’s applicability to service-oriented architecture (SOA) this week, quoting George Ravich, who promulgates the SOA-as-a-store approach to enterprise users in the same way that iTunes is available online to get whatever one needs at the time: “The SOA service catalog promises to have the same impact on enterprise computing as the iTunes playlist has had on listening to music.”

SOA has always been an approach that promotes reuse and interoperability between existing IT systems. Those who have adhered to SOA principles have been able to project their services and data into widely distributed and far-flung IT solutions, both within and between organizations. But successfully driving SOA consumption has been hard, and the focus is too often on opening up services instead of focusing on increasing usage. But the SOA industry quickly hit upon a potential solution. Proving that what is old is new again with the app store model, there have been commercial service directories for a long time now that have have helped organizations maintain open inventories of services, such as StrikeIron or IBM Mashup Center…

The Social Shindig party, the official networking party of Social Media World Forum will be taking place on the middle evening of the event.All conference pass delegates are invited to head over to the Archangel venue situated opposite the Kensington Royal Garden Hotel.  The venue is a10 min walk from Olympia & The Hilton Olympia Hotel – the official event hotel and 5 m ins from High Street Kensington Tube Station.

Please Note: Open only to full conference pass holders – wristbands will need to be shown to gain access Networking Party Partners

About Social Media UK

‘Social Media UK’ is a networking community based in London consisting of a LinkedIn group of 850+ members, a crowdsourced blog www.socialmediamonday.co.uk and a monthly networking event ‘Social Media Monday’ with presentations & plenty of ‘social’ till late… (follow @SocialMedia_UK & tweet about #SMUK)

We’ve grown tremendously over the last 6 months and we’re really proud to be continuing these talks in the Workshops at the Social Media World Forum 2010.

‘Social Media UK’ is organised by the Digital / Social Media recruitment specialists; Fresh Resources. We’re ridiculously passionate about all things digital and absolutely believe that being an active part of the community and contributing towards the industry we specialise in, means we’re poised to consistently deliver precision services to our much adored clients. 

#SMUK loves social media, that why even this description is wrapped up in 140 words!