potential

Most consumer electronics (CE) device manufacturers are introducing software platforms that support widgets—also called TV applications, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com) . This sets the stage for a burgeoning new market and alters how people will access internet content – from news, web-surfing and purchasing to watching Netflix movies and YouTube. “By 2013, TV applications have the potential to generate over $1.7 billion in annual revenue,” says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst.  “Our primary research shows consumers already have a moderate interest in TV Widgets.  An innovative web-enabled CE device and service from a company like Google or Apple could truly galvanize the market, much as the iPhone transformed the mobile telephony market.” TV applications are small, self-contained software programs that can be plugged into a web application to access a wide range of content. Due to their broad scope, TV apps are rapidly becoming a ubiquitous product requirement for nearly all web-enabled CE devices. Recent research by In-Stat found the following: US shipments of web-enabled CE devices that support TV applications will grow from 14.6 million in 2010 to 83.4 million by 2014. By 2014, over 59 million US broadband households will own at least one CE device that supports TV applications. By 2014, the US installed base of CE devices that support TV applications will be 136 million units.