Here's a question for my fellow CTV geeks out there - is Peacock’s decision not to bend to Roku Inc. and Amazon and instead focus on the other streaming platforms (specifically the OEM's for the sake of this article) going to be the carrot some of these OEM's need to take the ‘smartness’ of their TV’s more seriously?
I know that sounds highly offensive, so to all my many friends at LG, Sony, Samsung, Vizio, HiSense etc...please don't be angry with me. But for so many years the OEM's have watched as their customers have connected a plastic stick to an already internet connected TV and yet it is only recently that they've started to realise the importance of creating a user interface/experience that truly works - A SIMPLE ONE that feels NATIVE to the device and not bolted on. You own the viewer at a glass level!! So why not deliver an experience that innovates beyond simply making a snazzy interface and instead create one that truly thinks outside the box (pun kinda intended) in ways that folks like Roku cannot.
At my company, Origin, we believe that you only win when you put the viewer's happiness and experience first...that is why we do what we do. By turning CTV advertising on its head, we've discovered that you can create an immersive ad experience that is powerful for the advertiser, helpful for the streaming service and enjoyable for the viewer/consumer.
Peacock taking this route has cast a giant spotlight on these TV manufacturers and that has lead my brain to ask two questions that I want to ask the streaming community:
Is it too late for Smart TV's to regain the ground they have lost?
Will they truly start to innovate as opposed to making a slightly shinier app store that doesn't require 6 steps and a user manual to navigate (looking at you Samsung).
I hope so.