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1 Introduction
The advent of smart phones, smart pads, and smart TVs in the late 2000s has opened a new age of smart medias. Smart TV, especially, is expected to radically change the television broadcasting industry. Conventional TV was a device that provided most of the entertainment and information in a normal household. With a combination of internet, applications, and contents, it has evolved to smart TV and its role is ever expanding.
The smart TV can be defined as a TV platform with operating system that not only provides the broadcasting function of conventional TV but also application stores, searching, game and SNS service via internet connection ([24] Kim, 2010; [22] Jung, 2011). Others claim that it is not sufficient to view smart TV as a two-way service TV with internet access. The concept of smart TV, according to them, indicates that consumers must be able to install/execute various applications on TV, and they must be able to share and consume desired contents and information ([17] Han, 2010).
The advent of smart TV is expected to change the passive Boob tube and lean-back behavior of consumers. Traditionally, TV was a low-involvement device for families where consumers lean-back and relax while watching audiovisual content ([21] Jung, 2010). Smart TV, on the other hand, allows users to enjoy various functions other than conventional TV. For instance, web surfing, checking e-mail, chatting, watching photo gallery, and playing game via internet. In addition, users can download applications from app stores and simultaneously access SNS to chat and/or search about TV program he/she is watching. Users can now take an active role in watching TV and they act as both consumer and supplier of contents and applications.
By 2013, global smart TV market is expected to grow to supply 50 percent of new TV: 1.31 million units ([10] DisplaySearch and iSuppli, 2010). Such optimistic forecast and the attractive TV market (with 4 billion users) is inducing many companies to the market. Suppliers of smart TV can be classified into two groups: platform firms (Apple and Google) and digital appliances firms (Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics). Apple released AppleTV, which is the smart TV in a settop box, in 2007 but it did not bring about commercial success due to...