We all have them: smart phones, now it seems another innovation is just around the corner: smart televisions. IBM has announced that TPV Technology Ltd., the manufacturer of Philips-branded televisions, has adopted IBM Cloud and IoT services to more quickly and easily build new smart features and apps, such as video-on-demand and instant playback, directly into its TVs.

Consumer electronics manufacturers must keep pace with ever-changing consumer demands, while coping with slim margins. The challenge has led to a surge in the development of new applications and services for smart TVs which has helped generate additional revenue streams for TV manufacturers.

With consumers turning away for their TVs to their smartphones like iPhones and Android devices maybe smart TVs is the smart thing to do?

Manufacturers can now pre-select from more than 1,000 available apps they believe will be most appreciated by their customers, including international as well as popular local apps. Consumers can then reconfigure, download or delete apps, to organize their smart TV the way they want.

“With millions of daily users, in over 40 countries and over 15,000 different device types, we turned to IBM Cloud to provide scalable services that keep our apps running smoothly and enable us to build new ones quickly,” said Bryant Lin Director, Global Smart Innovations, TPV. “In addition, IBM Bluemix services can be added to establish valuable insights into customers’ TV habits, supporting monetization and the creation of new services.”

“TPV is a great example of a company who sees the possibility of the cloud and Smart TV services,” said Sebastian Krause, General Manager, IBM Cloud, Europe. “When handling the back-end of device management, like the home screen – the user interface – and app store, TPV can focus on acquiring and monetizing more applications for their customers. It’s a great collaboration of innovation and people.”