Widget Channel Turning TV 2.0?

Yahoo recently unveiled plans to bring Web 2.0 applications to the small screen through its Widget Channel.

The internet company says the new channel will turn television into a truly interactive experience as viewers can watch shows while keeping up with personalised web services.

According to Yahoo, these widget applications could include communication platforms as well as listings and other information-based web offerings.

In a press release with project partners Intel, Yahoo stated: “TV Widgets can be personalised because they will be based upon popular Internet services such as Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports, Blockbuster® and eBay® that viewers have customised for use in their daily lives.”

Intel senior vice president Eric Kim emphasised the interactive capabilities of the planned channel: “No longer just a passive experience unless the viewer wants it that way, Intel and Yahoo are proposing a way where the TV and Internet are as interactive, and seamless, as possible.”

He added: “TV will fundamentally change how we talk about, imagine and experience the Internet.”

The Widget Channel is expected to launch in the US during the first half of next year.

Further details on this story can be found at Guardian.co.uk.