Verizon’s FiOS TV is going social. The company just launched two new social-TV services: The Widget Bazaar applications store and Internet Video on TV.
Verizon worked with Facebook Connect, Twitter, ESPN, Veoh, blip.tv, and Dailymotion to create a converged Internet-to-television experience that lets FiOS TV subscribers network with others while watching TV. Subscribers can also search and view online, personal PC-based videos on television screens.
The demand is clear and growing. According Nielsen, there are 87 percent more online social-media users now than in 2003, with 883 percent more time devoted to social-media sites. In February, social-network usage exceeded Web-based e-mail for the first time. Nielsen also reported that the number of American users frequenting online video destinations has climbed 339 percent since 2003, and time spent on video sites over that period increased almost 2,000 percent.
“With FiOS, passive TV becomes social TV, part of the sweeping cultural shift that’s changing how people connect with one another to share ideas, information and entertainment,” said Shawn Strickland, vice president of marketing for Verizon Telecom. “We’re working with some of the most popular companies on the Web to create the foundation for a high-quality, engaging Internet-to-TV experience that will only expand and grow richer.”
Introducing TV Widgets
Verizon’s Widget Bazaar applications marketplace, located within FiOS TV’s Interactive Media Guide, is launching with free Facebook, Twitter and ESPN Fantasy Football widgets. Verizon said it will add new widgets developed by the company and third-party developers in the coming months.
The Twitter widget lets subscribers follow tweets related specifically to the program, movie or sporting event they are watching. Subscribers can also select from a list of top topics to view tweets associated with current topics and trends, search for specific tweets, and create and save a favorite-topics list.
Subscribers with Facebook accounts can log in to Facebook through…