Samsung and Yahoo Partner on Smart TVs

There’s little doubt that the smart television is still the wave of the future, and Yahoo and Samsung have now agreed that they want to be able to enter this future as partners. 

The two companies have signed a multi-year contract that will bring Yahoo’s enhanced entertainment platform to Samsung’s (News - Alert) Smart TVs. 

This move might be one of the biggest changes Yahoo’s new CEO Marissa Meyer has spearheaded.

Samsung has managed to have some real success in a number of different technological markets. Most recently, the company has taken a few shots at Apple’s iPhone (News - Alert) with the release of its Galaxy S Mini. This new move appears to be less of a move against the Apple TV device and more a direct shot across the bow of the Google (News - Alert) TV. 

Whoever the competitor is in the crosshairs, Samsung hopes that adding Yahoo’s programming will put its line of 2012 Smart TVs at the front of the line when it comes to consumer’s choices.

Image via Shutterstock

With this new partnership, people using Samsung Smart TVs will get an onscreen prompt to access “actionable” content that will run alongside live television programs and commercials. Users will be able to access this content using their remote controls, their tablets or their smartphones. 

Programmers will be able to work in special content, such as trivia and other facts about the show they are watching. Showtime Networks and National Geographic Channel have both been named as two of the first channels that will work with this extended programming.

Samsung says this new format will be offered up to existing Samsung Smart TV customers through a firmware update. Integration with the Yahoo platform will be included out of the box with future generations of its Smart TV sets.