Internet TV may be the next goldmine for marketers

A new report from iSupply indicates that more that 50% of consumers want to have online capabilities through their television sets.

by Kristina Knight

According to the report network enabled consumer electronics are the next big thing for which marketers need to be aware. The survey found that 61% of consumers either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that being able to connect to the Internet via their television sets was important. When compiling the results from only males that number rose to 71%. Other than computers, the devices the consumers most want to have online capabilities are DVD recorders, DTV and media adapters. iSupply estimates that more than 732 million network enabled devices will be sold by 2011. In 2006 just over 225 million devices were sold.

As more electronics are offered with Internet capabilities more advertising opportunities will become available for marketers.

Juniper recently announced the release of a new broadband router which will enable marketers to better target IPTV ads. The E120 router collects user data, allowing marketers to target based on location, demographic and online habits.

"Service providers can target ads down to a specific number of subscribers in a neighborhood or on a street," said Gary Southwell, director of multiplay solutions for Juniper.