According to Per Borgklint, SVP & Head of Business Unit Support Solutions at Ericsson, the future of television is about delivering content anywhere, any time and on any device.
“TV viewers who wish to ‘lean back’ can do so,” he says. “Traditional television is an important part of the connected universe. Demand for the ‘TV anywhere’ experience is continually growing and by 2020 we predict there will be 50bn connected devices and of these, more than 15b are expected to be video enabled.”
Chris Forrester asked him more…
The future for linear TV is…
…Still changing the way we watch TV. Consumers are increasingly watching live and scheduled TV and interacting with each other on a ‘virtual sofa’ in a virtual living room. The social aspect of live TV – coupled with the strong desire to watch broadcast TV on second-screen devices – continues to draw in consumers and underlines the importance of delivering linear multi-screen TV.
Can TV on ‘smart’ phones ever be realistic?
Why not? Research from our ConsumerLab studies in recent years suggests there are five advantages to the smartphone in terms of TV consumption: as a video clip screen, an enhanced TV remote, remote DVR management, a social tool and an enhanced TV schedule.
Can social networking really influence change in the broadcast world?
It already is. Social networking has made TV a shared experience, which is particularly important as ‘Live TV’ remains a central and highly important part of the viewing experience. The potential opportunities for the TV industry are enormous.
Broadcasters plan programming years ahead. How can they tap into fast-moving changes?
By providing a service that is available on all screens and at the highest possible quality. This will enable them to be at the forefront of technological change, allowing broadcasters to innovate, manage and monetise a new generation of rich TV experiences for the mass market.
Will broadcast TV evolve just to be ‘Highlight TV’?
New cloud-based on-demand services and a wide variety of connected mobile devices will enable consumers to make their own choice based on convenience. Viewers can personalise the service to steer broadcast TV towards their individual needs. Social media is proving a strong driver for broadcasted ‘live’ TV and an integral part of the on-demand content discovery process.
When will Ericsson be ready for Ultra-HDTV?
We’re ready as soon as our customers are ready, and when they tell us the market is ready we’ll be standing by. Throughout our 20-year heritage we’ve constantly launched technologies that move the needle and meet the real needs at the right time.
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