The concept behind Internet TV is fascinating but many of the early offerings lacked luster. The products that have taken off are the Internet video boxes such as Roku, Boxee, and Apple TV.

Do you currently use an Internet TV device? If so, are you happy with it?

This year, the opportunity is said to lie in TV sets with built-in Internet connectivity. The reason for this is largely a result of the shift in consumer behavior. The trend has gone from viewing online entertainment through a desktop to viewing it through mobile and tablet devices. From all indications, the next shift will be to the living room.

At this time, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, LG, and Panasonic all have connected TVs on the market, but there are reports that Apple will release a TV set later this year. In addition, based on what Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said at the Le Web conference, Google TV will be integrated into the majority of televisions by this summer.

(He begins talking about Google TV around 38 minutes in)

In order for 2012 to be the year for Web TVs to become mainstream, consumers will have to be educated on what they are. For this to happen, the consumer electronics companies will have to use effective marketing strategies to create a need for consumers to want connected TVs.

If this happens, it will, no doubt, open many doors for hardware makers, content providers, and others. However, there are questions that remain such as, what will happen to the Internet video boxes that have been, up to this point, primarily responsible for the success of Internet? While this could be a very real concern, it appears that companies such as Roku have already taken this into consideration.

Earlier this week, the company announced the Roku Streaming Stick that plugs directly into a TV and transforms it into a Smart TV. Users will be able to purchase the Roku Streaming Stick later this year, but it will also be available as a bundle with Best Buy’s Insignia TV. According to the company blog, Roku is working to secure more partnerships with other TV manufacturers.

While only time will tell if 2012 is, in fact, the year that connected TVs take off, hopefully, we’ll have a better idea of what to expect after next week’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Would you be willing to buy a connected TV this year? Let us know.

Glenn Beck had been a breakout star for the Fox News Channel, maintaining the third highest rated show on all of cable news. Rumors of tensions between Beck and Fox began to circulate and in April he announced that he would be ending The Glenn Beck Show on Fox. Though still popular, his ratings have taken a plunge and the show has been hit with advertiser boycotts due to its controversial nature. Many say that he was edged out due to these reasons. Others contend that Beck wanted a way out of what he felt was a restrictive media machine.

Today, Beck announced his official move to the web with the launch of GBTV. Glenn Beck TV will be a paid service, costing regular members $4.95 a month or $49.95 a year and plus members $9.95 a month or $99.95 a year.

The big deal about GBTV is that it will house his live show, which looks to be the carryover of his Fox News Show. The two-hour show will air weekdays from 5 to 7 pm starting September 12th. All content will be in HD and available on the iPhone, iPad, and Roku.

If users pay more for the plus subscription, they will get access to the video broadcast of Beck’s 3-hour radio program airing from 9 am to 12 pm, “exclusive documentaries” and other features like access to “The 4th Hour,” a continuation of the radio program with special guests and call-in segments.

Glenn Beck’s media company Mercury Radio Arts has already been providing this type of content on the internet. Mercury Radio Arts runs theblaze.com, a conservative news blog. In March of 2010, they announced “Insider Extreme,” a subscription service that granted access to the video broadcast of Beck’s radio program as well as the “exclusive documentaries.” They report that 80,000 people are currently singed up for this service. It looks like GBTV is an expansion on this, merging all of that content into the plus version of its subscription – thus upgrading insider extreme members to GBTV plus members. The new, and most important aspect of GBTV looks to be the new evening show.

“GBTV is the future,” said Glenn Beck. “The confines of traditional media no longer apply. GBTV is about getting active in the community, participating in stories, and finding new ways to deliver news, information and entertainment directly to the audience.”

The internet is the perfect place for a guy like Beck to broadcast. He will now have the ability to say whatever he wants, without the fear of butting heads with Fox News, and losing tons of advertisers. Plus he already has a loyal following and has basically become his own brand. Time will tell, however, if Beck’s audience will be willing to make the switch to the internet. The subscription part won’t be a problem, I presume, as his fans are very enthusiastic about him.

No matter what you think about Beck, his politics and his controversies, his transition is probably a very smart play. The potential is there for GBTV to bring in loads of revenue for Beck. If 80,000 people are already signed up for Insider Extreme, that’s around 10 million dollars taken in already.

Say Beck just gets a small chunk of his million-plus viewers to jump on board GBTV? Forbes points out that if only 50,000 sign up, even at the lower $4.95 monthly rate, Beck will be taking in more than he currently makes from his Fox News show. Most of Beck’s revenue comes from radio and book sales, so any additional money from the primetime show on GBTV will be a bonus.

Beck’s move to the internet also raises the more general question – Is the internet going to become the legitimate new outlet for big name news and radio personalities? If anything, Howard Stern has proven that it can be done –

The benefits of the internet are also the drawback for media personalities: they’re on their own. If they constitute enough of a draw for viewers, it can really work. Then they have the freedom to run things how they want to run them. I guess we’ll see if Glenn Beck’s viewership was tied more to the man himself or the power of the Fox News umbrella.

Beck will host a live kickoff event tomorrow at 7 pm ET to explain GBTV, available on glennbeck.com and his Facebook page. His last show at Fox is reported to be airing June 30th.

Have you tried Google TV? If so, what did you think? Let us know.

Just last week it was reported that Hulu, ABC, NBC, and CBS were blocking content from Google TV, which makes absolutely no sense at all in my opinion. Now some users are calling out the peripherals of Google TV devices, more specifically the Sony remote. (If you’re unfamiliar with the remote, you can see an image below.)

Just yesterday, former Google employee, suspected pilot, and current BuzzFeed President Jon Steinberg tweeted his frustration over Sony’s new TV remote…

Mr. Steinberg isn’t alone with his feelings on the Sony remote; the Boy Genius Report stated the following while doing their hands-on demonstration…

”The size is definitely intriguing as it is way smaller in person than we expected it to be. Also, the feel is right – pretty light without feeling inexpensively cheap. However, the myriad of buttons sort of confuses us, especially when a bunch of them don’t serve a purpose 90% of the time in what we’d imagine would be your daily use.”

Have you used Sony’s Internet TV with Google TV remote? If so, what are your thoughts? Tell us what you think.

With any new product there are bumps in the road; it’s all about how they respond to the criticism and how much they truly care about the UX of their software and devices.

It’s now being rumored that Apple is vying to acquire Sony, the consumer electronics giant. Apple reportedly has $50 billion in cash reserves, while Sony has a market cap of $34 billion. So, financially speaking, Sony is a strong possibility for Apple. It’s unclear at this time what impact this has for Sony’s new Internet TV with Google TV, since Apple already has a digital multimedia receiver with Apple TV. What are your thoughts on this? Should Apple attempt to acquire Sony? Let us know your thoughts.

The investors include Goldman Sachs, former Viacom and MTV Networks CEO Tom Freston’s FireFly3 LLC, and Jonathan Dolgen. Previous financial backers include Shelter Capital Partners, Spark Capital, Michael Eisner’s Tornante Company and Time Warner Investments.

"As Internet television is becoming an increasingly large part of viewers’ media experience, it’s important for traditional and new media companies to work together to deliver the most engaging content possible," said Steve Mitgang, CEO of Veoh Networks.

"These new team members, along with our existing advisors, will help us build the bridges between historic and emerging media business models that are necessary to drive even more innovation and greater variety in Internet Television."

Veoh’s Series C funding closed in August 2007, and it received $25 million in financing. The company’s user base reached 18 million unique users in August 2007, up from 4. 4 million users when Veoh launched in February 2007.

Peter Perrone, Vice President at Goldman Sachs, said,"Veoh is a clear leader in Internet television. Their rapid traffic growth reflects a unique and innovative platform that offers tremendous value to consumers, publishers, and advertisers. We look forward to helping drive this next phase of growth."

"Unlike Joost, which is a closed system with content from a limited number of sources, VeohTV supports open Internet standards, and has access to virtually all of the video content on the Internet, on demand." said Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of Veoh Networks.

"We asked Veoh.com users what they really want in their online video experience and VeohTV is the culmination of that feedback. We believe that it will be the dominant standard for online video consumption moving forward."

VeohTV gives viewers one interface to search and view video online, from television networks such as Fox and CBS along with user-generated content from sites that include YouTube, Google Video and MySpace.

Once installed on a PC, VeohTV launches into a channel guide like those found on cable systems.  Users can browse through channels or search by keywords. User can stream directly from the host site or use a DVR and click a button to download videos.

The companies that have invested in Joost include Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Li Ka Shing Foundation, CBS and Viacom.

"This funding represents a tremendous vote of confidence in Joost’s platform," said Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost. "We’ve carefully selected these investors from a variety of interested parties, as they are best-in-class in their respective arenas and bring unique assets to Joost that will enable us to significantly accelerate growth and development of the Company."

Each company involved has invested a minority percentage in Joost. The funding will help to speed product development and service offerings. Previously its founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstom who also founded Skype funded the company.

Danny Rimer, general partner of Index Ventures said, "We are excited to be working with Niklas and Janus once again as we see the same ground-breaking potential in Joost that we saw in Skype."

"By leveraging proven P2P architecture and assembling a world class management team, they have made a powerful idea simple and brought new services to market in record time. Our investment in Joost signals Index Ventures’ continued commitment to investing in impactful technologies."

What sets Joost apart from other online video sites such as YouTube is that their focus has been on professional content rather than user generated videos.

The company has made content deals with Sony, CBS, Turner Broadcasting and Warner Brothers. Those partnerships have made it easier for Joost to attract other content providers.

Mr. Li Ka-shing, chairman of Hutchison Whampoa Limited and Cheung Kong Holdings stated, "We were excited about the opportunity to invest in Niklas and Janus. With the quality, content, speed and usability of Joost’s platform, and the community-targeted service offerings, we expect Joost will revolutionize the Internet television market."

 The European study, which surveyed 2,500 broadband users in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, found that 45 percent of European viewers are already watching TV online.

The French are leaders when it comes to watching TV on the Web with 59 percent saying they view previews and episodes of their favorite shows online. Italians come in second in Internet TV viewing while the British hold the third place spot. German viewers are the least interested in online TV with only 33 percent tuning into Internet TV.

The TV itself is evolving, according to the study, becoming an interactive entertainment and communications tool. On average users are now connecting three devices to their TV sets, and close to a third of all Europeans are attaching a digital camera to download and view photos.

Forty-five percent of Europeans believe they will be making video calls using their TV by the time the 2012 Olympics are on.

"These results show that viewers across Europe are no longer satisfied with fitting into schedules dictated by broadcasters and are turning to the choice and flexibility offered by TV over the internet," says Karl Elliott, Marketing Director for EMEA within Motorola’s Connected Home Solutions division.

"We are witnessing a nation of citizen schedulers who are in control of their entertainment, allowing them to watch what they want, how and when they want it."

Joost Squeezes New Content Deals

Additionally, the company has announced their commercial availability and all Joost beta testers now have unlimited invitations they can share. People still cannot sign up for the service using the company’s Web site.

Joost’s other content deals include Sony who will air episodes of old TV shows such as "Charlie’s Angels" and "Starsky & Hutch".

 Sports Illustrated will run content focused on it’s swimsuit issue while the National Hockey League will broadcast classic games from the NHL and highlights. Hasbro will provide old episodes of the "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe".

Dennis Quinn, executive vice president of business development for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. said, "We have the unique opportunity to reach and engage new and existing fans of Turner programming through an innovative platform."

"Online distribution is extremely important to Turner, and with Joost we are confident that our programming is secure and distributed in the high-quality format that is true to our brands."

Beginning Thursday, viewers will be able to watch programming from the new content partners by creating a customized list of channels or by using the channel catalog to search for programming by name channel or genre. Programming varies by geographic region, based on copyright ownership.

Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost, said, "The ability to make Joost a viable business, versus just a cool technology or viewer experience lies in our ability to bring together advertisers, content owners and viewers.

"Our business model was developed with the interests of our viewers and partners at the core. It’s exciting for us to enter this phase and truly begin executing on our vision."
 

ComScore has tracked the Internet audience visiting TV sites with such unhip, ancient names like ABC, MSN, and Yahoo, to see how they have fared in terms of traffic. The fall season of new series premieres arrived with its usual amount of fanfare for the networks, which has pushed viewers to the Web for more information on shows that debuted.

MSN TV and Yahoo TV flip-flopped places at the top of the comScore chart, with MSN taking the top place in total audience, 12.7 million visitors to Yahoo’s 9.7 million. AOL TV closely followed in third by the numbers (source: comScore Media Metrix):

		Aug-06 (000)	Sept-06 (000)	Pct. Change
		———–	————	———–
Total Internet: Total Audience		173,407	173,428	0%
MSN TV		9,336	12,737	36
Yahoo! TV		10,718	9,791	-9
AOL Television		8,515	9,637	13
ABC.COM		4,576	8,140	78
PBS		6,857	7,568	10
NBC Network		4,937	7,515	52
Discovery.com Sites		5,282	7,011	33
CBS Television		6,051	6,094	1
TV.COM		5,316	6,001	13
DIRECTV.COM		5,186	5,282	2

“ABC.com experienced a 78-percent increase to 8.1 million visitors, driven largely by traffic to the “Dancing with the Stars” site, which saw a 212-percent increase to 826,000 visitors, and “Grey’s Anatomy,” which saw a 206-percent increase to 679,000 visitors,” comScore noted in its Media Metrix.

Let’s not forget about those short-form user contributed online videos, either:

“As the buzz about the Google/ YouTube deal turns to the topic of who’s next?’ it will be interesting to watch how online video sites differentiate themselves and how major media companies take notice,” commented Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.