Since Sony has teamed up with archrival Google to offer internet TV in the US, it only makes sense for Yahoo! to expand its partnership with the other high-volume TV makers, Samsung and Toshiba, and go for the globe.
Yahoo! and Samsung announced that they would bring Connected TV to 26 countries in Europe and 39 countries worldwide. In September, Yahoo! made asimilar announcement with Toshiba, touting its new availability on Toshiba HDTVs in North America. Yahoo! TV is also available on sets made by Sony, Vizio and LG.
Yahoo! offers a much more modest integration of the web with television than Google TV. Instead of fullscreen apps, it mostly widgets for popular services like Pandora, Twitter, TV Guide, and news and weather services, although it also offers internet TV through services like YouTube and Amazon video on demand.
The main draw may be Yahoo!'s own services, including Flickr, News, Weather, Finance and popular social games like Y! Fantasy Football.
"We don't think people want the whole Web browser experience crammed in a TV," Yahoo!'s Russ Schafer told the AFP. "It is a best-of-the-Web, not all-of-the-Web."
Because Yahoo! TV takes a less radical approach than Google or Apple TV in delivering web content through the television set, it's faced less pushback from networks and other content makers. This makes for less frustation, but also fewer features and less long-term upside.
See Also:
- Wired 13.09: The Super Network
- Vizio's Wireless TV Connects to the Web Through New 'Widget Stream ...
- Some Details About Yahoo's New Video Platform
- 7 Ways to Watch Web Video Without Google TV
- Android Holds the Key to Samsung's Smart TV Plans
- Samsung Bets on a Thin Future
- Samsung's Impossibly Thin 3D TV Tempts Hollywood Producer
