Yahoo Offers Connected TV For Toshiba And Sony

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Coming hot on the heels of earlier announcements that Apple was looking to add widgets to our television watching experience comes news that now, Yahoo’s looking to try their luck with it too. But they’ve got something else in mind, at last report, that’s a little familiar–okay, a lot familiar–but still a surprise from Yahoo.

Yahoo’s Connected TV program offers up a variety of widgets to enhance your television viewing, featuring things like social network access so you can tell everybody about the Storage Wars marathon you’re watching on A&E (and frankly, I’d probably be one of them. I love Storage Wars and more people need to know about that show.) or the like, as well as give you the possibilities of voting in various polls, or even just getting coupons for some snack treats whilst enjoying the aforementioned marathon. Of course, it will also serve up a whole new strata of advertising specifically geared toward what you’re watching (Enjoying a round of American Pickers? Well, you might be hearing about Joe’s Antique Mart downtown off to the side in the process.), which is a little less pleasant, but still.

And that’s not where the surprises end, either–word is that Yahoo’s going to be getting together an app store, with help from some names like Ford and HSN, to help put some extra function in your Connected TV system. You’ll be able to get your hands on all of this by the end of the year, at last report, though just what will show up in a Yahoo app store is as yet unclear. They’ll be available in models from Toshiba and Sony, joining earlier announcements from Haier, so if you want Connected TV, just keep those two in mind.

It’s interesting to see Yahoo try and play in as many of Apple’s sandboxes (though Google was just as much in on the forefront of connected television) as it is, but what do you think? Does Yahoo, which is no small firm in its own right, have what it takes to tackle Apple on its own turf? Or is Yahoo trying too hard to reassert its former relevance? However you feel about this, we’re waiting to hear from you in the comments section below!