AT&T’s update of its U-verse mobile application to add more channels and to work with the Apple Watch focuses attention on the telecommunications company’s heated rivalry with Verizon for mobile-first TV everywhere programs.
“Wherever the content goes, so do the customers, and it appears AT&T is taking the competition very seriously,” said Ken Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax.
“Moves like what we are seeing from AT&T are key for companies wanting to play a larger role in our media future, especially as it relates to video,” Mr. Wisnefski said.
“An app that provides the ability to use a smartwatch as a remote control wouldn’t seem to make or break a video app on another device,” Mr. Wisnefski said. “However, there is a lot of room for growth in the market for smartwatch apps, and companies that are experimenting with ways to incorporate the tech could gain a foothold in deciding how the tech is largely used or at very least will have less catching up to do later.”
“The next big thing seems to come out every other day, but those advances have a responsibility, I think, to prove their value to the market,” Mr. Wisnefski said.
“We know the prediction that TV is going extinct and digital will overtake it. But exactly what players will end up dominating the field in say, five years, leads to a lot of conjecture, as does marketers trying to imagine what their jobs might look like,” he said.