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Virgin Media O2 creates Connected Playground powered by its own network
Virgin Media O2 has unveiled a new connected playground experience, complete with lights, sound and interactive apparatus powered entirely by its gigabit broadband and 5G mobile networks. The site, in Islington, London has been designed to create an enhanced outdoor play experience that promotes creativity and smart play through technology.“The scientific evidence is overwhelming now that spending time outdoors has both immediate and long-term benefits for children’s concentration and mood,” explains child psychologist Dr Sam Wass. “But encouraging this as a parent can be hard, because children’s expectations and what they get from digital play are constantly evolving.”The playground apparatus including swings, slides and climbing frames has been modified with sensors, pressure pads and infrared beams to create an interactive environment which reacts in real time to a child’s movement, enabling them to create their very own musical masterpiece as they make their way around the playground.Each interaction with the playground equipment influences the pitch and tempo, adding another layer of sound to build a piece of music which can be heard through speakers throughout the play area. Once the child has completed the course, their unique music track can be downloaded to take home and listen back to.Virgin Media O2’s Connected Playground at King Square Gardens is open to the public from Thursday 9th to Friday 10th March.Related
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MConnected selects EchoStar Mobile for mobile satellite services in Europe
MConnected selects EchoStar Mobile for mobile satellite services in Europe We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OK
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Ad industry to create new streaming viewability and connected TV standards
Ad industry to create new streaming viewability and connected TV standards We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OK
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Goldbach: 70% of 16 to 49-year-olds in DACH use Connected TV
Connected TV has become an integral part of the living room in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH).Above all, the younger target group of 16 to 49-year-olds use Connected TV at over 70%. The figures for households with children are strikingly high: Here, 77% of the people living in the household use an internet-connected TV set.These are the results of the Advanced TV study, which the advertising sales company Goldbach conducted for the fifth time in the DACH region.Three quarters of those surveyed use a smart TV, and one quarter peripheral devices such as a set-top box or HDMI stick. Among the streaming boxes, Apple TV is in first place with a share of 45%, and in the TV stick segment, the Amazon Fire TV stick is used most with 76%. Among game consoles, the Sony Playstation still leads with 70%.The start screen of the smart TV also shows a trend reversal: Until now, the screen mostly started with a TV channel. In this year’s survey, 55% of users said they started with the device interface.The use of app or VOD add-on functions rises to 95% in the DACH region this year, eight percentage points more than in 2021. Streaming apps are very popular among all age groups, TV apps especially among older target groups (50 to 69-year-olds at 60%), while music apps are popular among younger people (16 to 29-year-olds at 27%).Streaming apps are used most on Connected TV in all countries of the DACH survey. The variety of content, but also the flexibility in terms of time, are cited as the major advantages of the apps.As in 2021, Connected TV users use an average of 2.3 paid apps and 3.2 free apps. They spend between €10 and €29 per month on these apps. Two-thirds of users of paid apps would accept advertising if the content were free. 43% of users perceive advertising in the Connected TV environment. 52% of 30 to 49-year-olds find advertising “perfectly fine”, 43% of 30 to 49-year-olds find advertising helpful.“Connected TV has become an integral part of home entertainment and is growing dynamically,” said Frank Möbius, Managing Director of Goldbach Germany. “The task now is to continue to develop common standards for reach measurement and to ensure the openness of the systems in order to guarantee optimal, attractive advertising opportunities.”Mario Neumann, Unit Director Advanced TV at Goldbach Germany, added: “With the advertising product system in the Connected TV area, it is possible to address a user base that can hardly or no longer be reached via traditional TV. In our view, the future of TV advertising is hybrid, interactive and still full of possibilities. The smart TV user interface has become a first point of contact and a full-fledged technology platform for digital advertising.”Related
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Poland’s VOD.PL relaunches on connected TV
The Polish OTT platform VOD.PL, which is owned by Ringier Axel Springer Polska, has been relaunched on connected TV platforms. As a result, it is now possible to watch movie premieres, cult productions, festival films and ambitious cinema on LG TV sets and Android TV devices from amongst other, Sony, Philips or Sharp. The range of Connected TV applications for VOD.PL, including the UX design and development, have been delivered by Redge Media.VOD.PL’s relaunched look and feel on the big screen follows the pattern developed by the industry over the last decade: the combination of banners, tiles and carousels. Great attention was paid to responsiveness for lag-free navigation. The usage is facilitated by tiny amendments which make the difference, such as +/- 10 sec jumps or smooth scrolling over video timeline. Moreover, the UX is ready for content personalisation, whilst transactions directly from the big screen are supported for instant purchases of TVOD.Commenting on the relaunch, Klaudia Czarnotta, video UX designer at Redge Media, said: “Over the last decade the industry has developed the VOD UX to a fine tune. Here all you can do now is simply do the good job. That’s what we did for VOD.PL. However, there is so much more we can do for different verticals of life, such as news, sports, lifestyle communities or even book publishers. They all can be enriched with video content along with an optimised UX. This is the essence of Video UX 3.0”.To experience the suite of VOD.PL applications, as well as the UX 3.0 designs and use cases, Redge Media will be present during IBC2021 at booth 5.F21.Related
