Cognitive Networks:

WHO: Cognitive Networks, a market leading provider of real-time services that power Enhanced TV on Smart TVs, will participate in a panel titled, "Evolution of the Smart TV," at CONNECTIONS Summit at CES.

The company will also showcase the first-of-its-kind Smart TV ecosystem for Enhanced TV at International Consumer Electronics Show 2014 (CES). The recently announced ecosystem includes partnerships with interactive content creation and distribution platforms, app developers, advertisers, TV manufacturers, and content providers. The Smart TV ecosystem for Enhanced TV enables programmers, service providers and advertisers to drive deeper engagement, increase programming ratings, advertising effectiveness, and provide new ad opportunities across the Smart TV ecosystem.

WHAT: Leaders within the Smart TV ecosystem will participate in an interactive discussion panel that will focus on the impact and future of Smart TVs as a platform for digital content, discovery, and apps. The panel will also address several recent trends, including Ultra HD, partnerships among service providers and device makers, and future challenges and opportunities.

The "Evolution of the Smart TV" panel will be moderated by Barbara Kraus, director of research from Parks Associates. Panel participants include:

  • Richard Bullwinkle, head of US television innovation, Samsung
  • Michael Collette, CEO, Cognitive Networks
  • John Honeycutt, chief operating officer, Discovery Networks International, Discovery Communications
  • Gaurav Shah, vice president of marketing for Digital Entertainment Business Unit, Marvell
  • Wendell Wenjen, director of Smart TV advertising and interactive TV platforms, LG Electronics
  • Stephen White, president, Gracenote

In the recent whitepaper "Smart TV Unleased: Engagement Through Cognition" from Parks Associates and Cognitive Networks, it was revealed that approximately 31 million households, accounting for 26 percent of total TV households, own a Smart TV and almost two-thirds of those owners connect their Smart TVs to the Internet. Household ownership rates will rise to 64 percent of all TV households by 2018.

"The penetration of Smart TVs has increased consistently in the U.S. since they were first introduced in 2007, said Barbara Kraus, Director, Research, Parks Associates "As the penetration increases, Smart TVs are developing platforms for content discovery and looking at new revenue streams through advertising and content placement."

For a free copy of the whitepaper, please visit: http://www.parksassociates.com/smarttv.

WHEN: The "Evolution of the Smart TV" panel will take place at CONNECTIONS TM Summit, hosted by market research firm Parks Associates, on Tuesday, January 7 from 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. PT.

WHERE: The panel will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) North Hall, second floor room N264. The summit is being held in conjunction with International Consumer Electronics Show 2014 (January 7-10) at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Demonstrations of the Smart TV ecosystem for Enhanced TV which include TV sync apps such as social TV, voting, polling, predictions, telescoping, and contextual commerce, will take place at the Cognitive Networks booth #80309 in the Gold Pavilion in front of LVCC.

Media or analysts interested in meeting with Cognitive Networks at International CES 2014 about its real-time services that enable an Enhanced TV viewing experience through interactive advertising and show engagement should contact Marta Weissenborn at martaweissenborn@mcgrathpower.com.

About Cognitive Networks

Cognitive Networks is a leading provider of real-time services powered by Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology, enabling the fundamental transformation of the way viewers consume TV while delivering a platform for content producers and TV networks to increase customer engagement, grow their audiences, and increase the value of the TV viewing experience for all audiences. The company's ENGAGE TM API allows Smart TVs to launch applications that are intelligently synchronized with live or time-shifted television, enabling ecosystem partners to add Enhanced TV capabilities to broadcast TV displaying on Smart TVs. With Cognitive Networks' Engage, content providers can now provide consumers with fun, smart things to do while watching TV on their Smart TVs. For more information about Cognitive Networks, visit www.cognitivenetworks.com.

McGrath/Power Public Relations and Communications
Marta Weissenborn, +1 408-727-0351
martaweissenborn@mcgrathpower.com