CONNECTIONS(TM) Features Keynotes and Sessions on Cloud-Based Video Services, Connected Cars, and the Extension of Connected Entertainment in the IoT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 20, 2015) - The 19th-annual CONNECTIONS™^[1] opened yesterday with a keynote from Farooq Muzaffar, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Development, Verizon, "Taking a Mobile-First Approach to the Smart Home,"^[2] which addressed the significant impact of the mobile market on the Internet of Things and the connected home ecosystem. CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, hosted by research firm Parks Associates, is taking place May 19-21 at the Hyatt San Francisco, with over 600 industry executives in attendance.

"We are in the early days of the smart home," Muzaffar said. "How we live and entertain ourselves just five years from now will be very different than it is today."

Parks Associates recently released research showing nearly 80% of U.S. broadband households now have a smartphone and the average household watches an average of two hours of video per week on their mobile phone. Smart home and entertainment options are also extending to the connected car, as 16% of light vehicles in the U.S. will have an active Internet connection by year-end 2015.

Executives from the smart home and connected entertainment industries share insights on product design, service delivery, and consumer engagement throughout CONNECTIONS™. Daniel Herscovici, SVP & GM, Xfinity Home, Comcast Cable, will deliver today's keynote "Driving Adoption of the Smart Home"^[3] at 10:00 a.m. The session "Evolution of Content Access: Cloud-based CE and Video Services" at 2:15 p.m., featuring speakers from Clearleap, Verimatrix, thePlatform, ARRIS, and Akamai Technologies, addresses the benefits of cloud-based products and services for operators, manufacturers, and consumers.

CONNECTIONS™ also addresses the consumer experience and engagement strategies for entertainment and smart home devices and services. "A well-designed user interface that enhances the quality and satisfaction of the user experience can contribute to the generation of alternate revenue streams, increasing the average revenue per user by driving adoption of content services and subscription sales," said Barbara Kraus^[4], Research Director, Parks Associates.

Mike Soucie, Head of Consumer Product Partnerships, Nest, will deliver the morning keynote "Where the Jetsons Went Wrong: A Look Inside the more Thoughtful Home of the Future"^[5] on Thursday, May 21, at 9:15 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., speakers from PacketVideo, BrightLine, Wowza Media Systems, Limelight Networks, and AirTies will participate in the session "Entertainment and the New User Experience," examining innovations that are shaping the future of the user experience, its role in the smart home, and UI monetization strategies.

"The connected and smart home is the inevitable result of progress in the whole networking domain over the last 40 years and most recently the proliferation of smart mobile devices allied with the great strides taken in local wireless performance," said Özgür Yildirim, North America Business Unit EVP & General Manager, AirTies. "The smart home field will now be driven by healthcare, environmental control and security monitoring in particular."

CONNECTIONS™ Sponsors^[6] include Icontrol Networks, CEL, Assurant Solutions, Asurion, HP, Lowe's, Qualcomm, Resolution Products, ROC-Connect, Support.com, Affinegy, Alarm.com, Ayla Networks, EVRYTHNG, INSTEON, PlanetEcosystems, PlumChoice, Prodea, Tyco, ULE Alliance, WeatherBug Home, Z-Wave, Greenwave Systems, Radialpoint, Zipato, AirTies, Amdocs, MivaTek, and Nortek Security & Control.

Media and organizations supporting^[7] the event include CEDIA, TWICE, AE Ventures, Appliance DESIGN Magazine, Best Web Design Agencies, BestSEOs.com, Bluetooth SIG, BoogarLists, Cablefax, Conference Guru, Connected Home World, CTIA, Digital Trends, Entertainment Merchants Association, FierceCable, FierceMobileIT, FierceOnlineVideo, FierceTelecom, FierceWireless, HDTV Magazine, Home Energy Magazine, Home Gateway Initiative, HomePlug Alliance, HomeToys.com, Innovation & Tech Today, IOT Insights, IoT Perspectives, Light Reading, Mobile Monday, MoCA, NexTV Latam, NFC Forum, Online Payments Market Guide, OSP Magazine, TelcoProfessionals, The Paypers, Thread Group, topSEOs.com, U-SNAP Alliance, UMTS Forum, Visibility Magazine, and Women Who Code.

For more information about CONNECTIONS™, visit www.connectionsus.com^[8]. Follow the conference on Twitter at @CONNECTIONS_US, #CONNUS15, and on the CONNECTIONS™ Industry Insights Blog^[9]. To schedule a meeting with an analyst or speaker, contact Holly Sprague at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[10], 720.987.6614.

About CONNECTIONS™
The 19th-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference will take place May 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in San Francisco. CONNECTIONS™ hosts over 400 executives in the connected entertainment, IoT, and smart home industries in an intimate networking environment.

The event provides networking opportunities and insights from industry players on entertainment, mobile, and smart home market segments. Parks Associates research analysts moderate each session, which feature consumer research on adoption and trends, forecasts of new products and services, evaluation of new business strategies, and concrete recommendations about technology innovations, strategic partnerships, monetization opportunities, and value-added services. Throughout the three-day event, sponsors offer tabletop demos during networking events, spotlighting new technology innovations and services.