LAS VEGAS - A year ago at CES, TiVo demonstrated how popular OTT devices, such as Roku and Apple TV, could let users enjoy access the content on the TiVo DVR in their living room from other rooms in the house, or out of the home.

But this week at CES 2020, a Ted Malone, VP of products and services for TiVo, conceded that apps for OTT players are no where close to being deployed.

Apps for Roku and Apple TV are “in limbo,” he said, due to technical challenges. Apps for Android TV devices are closer, because TiVo set-tops run on Android TV. By extension, Malone said an app for Amazon Fire TV, the No. 2 OTT device ecosystem in the U.S. and the top one globally, with 40 million active users, is also close, as Fire TV runs on Android, as well.

“My bet is we’ll get Android, and because of that we’ll get the Fire TV, because it’s the same app, just different qualifications,” Malone said.

TiVo said at CES 2019 that apps for Roku, the top OTT device ecosystem in the U.S., and Fire TV would debut in the second quarter of last year, with apps for Apple TV and Android TV following in the third quarter.

These apps would ostensibly let users tap into live and recorded video on their TiVo DVR, from any location. But the execution is proving complicated.

Malone said that in order to stream the video to other devices, TiVo must transcode it first. This entails quality and performance issues that the company has yet to resolve.

TiVo, meanwhile, has been a little distracted of late. On the top level, TiVo just scrapped plans to split its products and IP licensing business and instead entered a $3 billion merger with tech company Xperi.

On a products level, TiVo just launched an ad-supported streaming service. And at CES earlier this week, it announced its own entry into the streaming device market, Tivo Stream 4K.

“If we really believe the streaming market is where it’s at, we need to double down on that and not get distracted by a bunch of things that other people want, but aren’t really going to move the needle,” Malone said.

LAS VEGAS — With its younger consumers eschewing linear television like never before, the National Football League is counting on its players to reach this audience by becoming better marketers on social media.

“The way [younger fans] consume games is significantly different. Half of them don’t use linear at all,” Tim Ellis, chief marketing officer for the NFL, said at a CES panel event Wednesday.

Ellis said it is working directly with its players, helping them better understand how to use the various social and video platforms.

“For the most part, young people care about movies, gaming and fashion. And that’s what our players care about, for the most part,” Ellis said.

The marketing executive was quick to note that, in terms of having its players communicate directly with fans in this new way, context means everything. Players have to understand the specific aspects of the platform they’re using.

The fast-emerging social video platform TikTok is a prime example.

Sitting alongside Ellis, Blake Chandlee, VP of Global Business Solutions for TikTok, described the platform as a destination for “joyful” and “quirky” personality types, one with a user base that skews 77% 13-34 in age. For an NFL player, coming across as too straight-laced might not work on the platform.

“Being perfect is not OK on TikTok,” Chandlee said.

Ellis said some of the NFL’s “more mature” players have come to understand that TikTok is a “happier, more joyful platform.” He cited the league’s biggest star, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, as an example of someone who has been “extremely successful” at reaching out to younger fans on TikTok.

“But he still had to figure out how to do it,” Ellis explained.

He added that the NFL’s marketing strategy has been evolving quickly, noting that it’s “completely different than it was just a year ago.”

But the imperative is existential for the NFL. If the league can’t engage a fan by the time he or she is 18, “we’ve lost them,” Ellis said.

For her part, however, Claudine Cazian, director of partnerships for Instagram, said the league seems to be succeeding at upping its players’ overall marketing game.

“The NFL has doing a great job of making content meet commerce,” she said. 

LAS VEGAS — Working to stand out in an increasingly competitive—and commoditized—market for advanced video advertising, marketers should turn to a familiar playbook, said Amy Baker, executive VP of strategy and insight for A+E Networks, speaking on a CES panel Tuesday focused on digital advertising.

“What’s old is new again, and what is still important to marketers is product integration. Think about all the different subscription streaming sites that are out there right now that don’t accept advertising,” Baker said.

Moderator Rob Aitken, managing director for Monitor Deloitte, noted that Netflix—which assiduously rejects traditional TV advertising—currently generates around $300 million annually from product integration.

For content companies, Baker contended that strategies including product integration should fit into a larger agenda of “reinventing the ad load,” which in linear format is “really at a height right now.”

Also speaking on the panel, Lauren Wetzel, head of strategy and corporate development for AT&T advanced ad agency Xandr, said the overall ad-supported video industry needs to move to a paradigm where ads are not only relevant, but feel like content.

“It’s not that consumers are anti-advertising, they’re just pro content,” she said. “And good content drives higher CPMs and greater engagement.”

Baker, meanwhile, also highlighted the importance of media companies to own their content as much as possible, while being persistent and creative in terms of its monetization.

She noted the Netflix series You as an example. The A+E -produced original flopped on Lifetime, but has become somewhat of a hit in subscription streaming.

“All I can say is own your own content. Your library can be monetized in significant ways.”

LAS VEGAS — At CES this week, WiFi solutions vendor Plume unveiled a clever new home automation technology that it believes will enable its cable operator clients to further extend services into emerging areas such as home security and aging in place.

The technology, which Plume calls Plume Motion essentially turns any smart device in the home—whether it be a light fixture or a thermostat—into a motion sensor, detecting changes in WiFi radio waves caused by motion in the house. The technology is capable of telling users when and where in the home the motion is taking place.

The feature is powered by software from Plume technology partner Cognitive Software, which can be provided as an upgrade to existing Plume mesh WiFi hardware.

Related: Expo News: Charter To Team with Plume For Managed WiFi

Speaking to Multichannel News after Plume’s CES presentation, company co-founder and CEO Fahri Diner, admitted to being initially skeptical about the potential of Plume Motion when his product development team first pitched him the idea. He said he quickly came to realize the potential of the technology to detect, say, when a burglar has entered a home, or if parents simply want to monitor if their children have returned safely from school.

One potentially exciting application is aging place. Diner said operator clients in Japan, which has a fast-growing aging in place population, are particularly excited about a technology that would let adult children more effectively monitor their aging parents.

In Japan, Plume notably serves J Comm, but it has Tier 1 operator clients all over the globe. Both Comcast and Liberty Global have backed the Palo Alto-based startup, which also counts Charter Communications, Vodaphone, Bell Canada and Armstrong Communications as clients, as well.

Pioneering open sources WiFi management software tools such as OpenSync, Plume is a leader in the Smart Home 2.0 initiative, a movement to develop cloud-based, data-centric tools for the future of home automation.

LAS VEGAS — One of the most powerful vendors in the cable industry, CommScope, is having a quiet CES, debuting only one product, which seems to fill in the bottom rung of its WiFi 6 mesh product line.

Last year, CommScope, under its acquired Arris brand name, released two dual-piece Surfboard mesh WiFi systems that supported 802.11ax, otherwise known as WiFi 6, the $550 Surfboard Plus and the $650 Surfboard Max Pro.

Set to be released in the second quarter, the new two-piece system, which has a more simplified two-piece name, “Surfboard Max,” will ostensibly be a little cheaper than the aforementioned systems. CommScope hasn’t released a price yet. And it’s hard to tell how much of a step down the device is from the two previous product iterations.

CommScope said the Max AX6600 “compliments” the first two iterations, featuring two routers, each delivering 6.6 Gbps speeds with a total coverage areas of 5,500 square feet. The system’s third band, with 4.x4 WiFi 6, provides dedicated backhaul.

“Surfboard Max represents the whole-home coverage and gigabit speeds that consumers expect from our flagship WiFi portfolio in a new performance tier designed to meet the needs of an even greater range of consumers,” said Evan Groat, senior VP of the home networks retail products group at CommScope. “Now, people upgrading their home network have a new, powerful and stylish option to support their ultra-high-definition 4K content, high-performance gaming, and connected lifestyle for years to come.”

LAS VEGAS — Amazon has announced a major expansion of its Fire TV Edition program, which was introduced three years ago as a means of integrating its OTT ecosystem into smart TVs.

Here at CES, the tech giant said the program will now be available to device categories ranging from sounders to cars. And also included in that expansion are the devices pay TV operators lease to their customers.

According to Verizon, Verizon and India’s Tata Sky are the first operators to use the new Fire TV Edition for Operators service, which is available to operators in North America, Europe, India and Japan.

Amazon said Fire TV Edition makes it easier for device makers to integrate Fire TV into their products, with new tools and services for each category that enable companies to bring tailored entertainment experiences and content to their customers.

Amazon has partnered with companies including electronics retailer Best Buy on Fire TV Edition in the past. Through that partnership, Amazon was able to have its Fire TV ecosystem natively integrated into millions of Toshiba and Insignia smart TVs sold in North America.

"Over the past year, Best Buy has sold millions of Fire TV Edition smart TVs on BestBuy.com, in our stores and as a third-party seller on Amazon.com. We’ve enjoyed working with the Amazon team to bring these high-quality TVs and the incredible Fire TV experience to our customers," said Luke Motschenbacher, vice president of merchandising, Best Buy.

"At CES 2017, we announced the first Fire TV Edition smart TV. Now, just three years later, Fire TV Edition has grown into a worldwide program which will include more than 150 Fire TV Edition models across more than ten countries by the end of the year," said Marc Whitten, VP of Amazon Fire TV. "Our expanded Fire TV Edition program provides companies with the services and tools they need to bring Fire TV to more categories and more screens.”

In terms of the automotive sector, Amazon said it’s already working with BMW and Fiat Chrysler to integrate Fire TV backseat experiences, complete with Alexa voice navigation.

Meanwhile, also part of its broad CES announcement, Amazon touted the “Certified Solutions Provider” expansion of the Fire TV Edition program. Chinese TV manufacturer Skyworth has been tapped as the first original device manufacturer (ODM) to officially ply its expertise in helping other brands integrate custom Fire TV experiences into their devices. 

The network of the future was decidedly the theme of CES 2019 in Las Vegas. Wireless companies, including Verizon Communications and AT&T, packed auditoriums to show off the potential of 5G, which the former hyperbolically billed as “the fourth industrial revolution.”

Cable responded by showing off new technologies like WiFi 6, while unveiling the new marketing slogan, 10G, that would serve as an umbrella to Extended Spectrum DOCSIS and other emerging network tech that will compete with 5G in the future.

While CES 2019 was heavy on theoretical applications, this year’s event (Jan. 7-10) will feature more rubber meeting the road, with tech companies this year showing off actual devices that will actualize these next-generation connected technologies.

5G Phones Are Here

While Verizon and AT&T entered CES 2019 claiming to have 5G network access already deployed, it was really just vaporware at that point. Verizon said it had full millimeter wave 5G fixed wireless available in Los Angeles, Houston and a handful of other cities, but nobody could find an actual connection.

AT&T was roundly criticized for marketing — mislabeling? — an enhanced version of 4G LTE as “5G Evolution.”

This year, Verizon and AT&T (and T-Mobile) are in the market with tangible 5G network deployments. Chipmakers, including Qualcomm, will be showing off new 5G platform tech, while device vendors will be demoing actual 5G phones, such as the Samsung Note 10 5G.

Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of more theoretical demonstrations of future applications enabled by 5G’s speed and ultra-low latency. For example, autonomous vehicle demos will once again be ubiquitous at this year’s show. In fact, Daimler chairman Ola Källenius will be among the keynoters.

WiFi 6 Is Here as Well

Compared to 5G, the buzz was pretty mellow last year for the new WiFi 6 standard, or the sixth iteration of 802.11 WiFi.

Billed as the first major redesign of WiFi in 20 years, WiFi 6 aims to better serve the multi-device, multi-gigabit home, fundamentally rendering the way routers and gateways interact with their electronic “clients” to be faster and more efficient.

Actual WiFi 6 routers and gateways will be on display in Las Vegas this time around, including the xFi Advanced Gateway from Comcast.

“The xFi Advanced Gateway is truly the best internet product we’ve ever built, and we’re thrilled to be bringing our customers into the future with Wi-Fi 6,” Kunle Ekundare, director of product and hardware management for Comcast, said.

Streaming Warriors

While Apple TV+ and Disney+ have already been hoisted into the market, three other major services still pending the suddenly crowded theater of streaming video warfare will be using CES as a launch platform.

Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, respectively the founder and CEO of mobile video service Quibi, set to launch in April, will deliver a Wednesday morning keynote at the Park Theater at the Park MGM Hotel. Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal, will appear on the same stage at 4 p.m., presumably to talk about Peacock, the NBCU SVOD service also to launch in April.

Meanwhile, ahead of HBO Max’s May launch, WarnerMedia is hosting a two-hour CES “kickoff” event Tuesday night at the Aria Hotel Wedding Chapel, a shindig that will also include executives from AT&T and Xandr. WarnerMedia’s HBO unit is also hosting mysterious Westworld-themed dinners at the Nomad Restaurant Tuesday and Wednesday. HBO is billing these as “groundbreaking” events that will take invited guests to the “threshold of humanity’s next great stride.”

Screen Gems

As it always does, CES will feature ample next-generation TV display tech.

CES 2020 will show off more smart TVs with 8K display capabilities, even though U.S. supply — and demand — for 4K content remains in the relatively nascent stages. Indeed, NPD Group doesn’t expect the subset of still pricey 8K TVs to reach 1% market share until 2022. But more brands will join Samsung, Sony and LG, which were the first to introduce 8K sets last year.

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) sets — another pricey new display technology, which produces premium picture quality — are coming into vogue as well, with Vizio expected to enter the OLED market alongside LG and Sony.

Despite the ongoing specter of the trade war with China, OLED will be challenged at the show by Shenzhen-based manufacturer TCL. The Chinese CE brand will be showing off a less-expensive rival technology called Mini-LED, which uses smaller light-emitting diodes that don’t give off as much pixel-by-pixel brightness as OLED, but do allow for more efficient use of backlighting.

TVs enabled with ATSC 3.0 and HDMI 2.1 will also be, er, on display.

All the Rest

Like TVs, CES has become a mecca for advancements in areas like artificial intelligence and internet-of-things, categories which continue to expand in both product availability and influence at the show.

Virtual reality, a buzz topic for the last several years, is hardly going away, as are Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and advanced advertising.

With CES hoping to build on 2019’s 4,500 exhibitors, 2.75 million square feet of space and 180,000 attendees, no one can see it all. So pick and choose your spots wisely.