Can smartphones change the way we interact with TVs?
Smartphones may finally become a true companion to TV this year
Smartphones (or smart devices like tablet) with built-in infrared modules
are positioned to become more widely used as a companion product to the
TV set in 2013, serving as an infrared-based remote control. Integrating the
remote control feature and program info feed from the cloud into the
smartphone could gradually change the way consumers watch TV—from
channel-search to content-search—with the smartphone eventually being
the first point of contact when watching TV, in our view.
Three phases in which the smartphone can change the TV industry
We believe the smartphone could change TV user behavior and business
models over the next few years in several ways: 1) smartphones could
become the dominant remote control for TV/set-top boxes as a better
way of locating programs of interest; 2) TV program and commercial
providers could enhance two-way interaction with consumers by
leveraging smartphones as a second screen, as well as enable more
accurate data collection of viewership that could be used to improve the
setting of commercial rates; 3) smartphone OEMs, telecom operators, and
network operators could vie for the ownership of the TV platform, with
closed and open ecosystems as the centre stage of competition.
A competition between closed and open platforms
As some smartphone makers also have TV set businesses, we think they
would naturally consider establishing their own smartphone/TV
combination as a closed ecosystem, and provide a proprietary platform to
secure their customer base. However, we believe smartphone OEMs
without separate TV businesses may be another driver of the smartphone-
TV companion trend, as they would have greater flexibility in collaborating
with different TV makers and telecom/network operators in generating
additional value-add services and sources of revenue via e-commerce.
Fueling smartphone replacement demand, benefiting verticals
We believe the smartphone-TV companion theme could be one of the
next driving forces of smartphone replacement demand, and that
whomever executes the best TV strategy could emerge as the leader in the
next cycle. Our Buy ratings on Largan (CL), China Wireless (CL), and AAC,
Neutral on HTC, and Sell on Compal Comm. are unchanged.