[Random-bits] Cable and satellite operators will build "walled gardens" -- captive collections of commerce and ad-supported content

[James Love]

Thanks to Jeff Chester for this pointer. jl

http://www.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,366,FF.html

Smarter TV Will Add $25 Billion To The Industry By 2005,
According To Forrester

Cambridge, Mass., July 21, 2000 . . . In the next five years, smarter TV
devices and content will dramatically shift how viewers consume
television programming. 

  [snip]

Cable and satellite operators will build "walled gardens" -- captive
collections of commerce and ad-supported content -- generating more than
$3 billion in commerce by 2002. But the true potential of smarter
television won't arrive until 2003, when the networks and operators will
finally agree on standards for metadata --  information about programs
and commercials embedded in video streams. Metadata will unlock the door
to new TV behaviors -- programs with embedded commerce, customized video
assembled to viewer preferences, and layered commercials that invite
viewers into ever-deeper interactions. 

   [snip]

=======================================================
James Love, Director           | http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology | mailto:love@cptech.org 
P.O. Box 19367                 | voice: 1.202.387.8030
Washington, DC 20036           | fax:   1.202.234.5176
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