The Android TV-powered pay TV set-top business is still here, and Vantiva owns a major chunk of it.

That's the essential takeaway from a boast published Tuesday by the French tech company formally known as Technicolor, and which purchased CommScope's set-top and gateway business last year. 

Vantiva said it has now sold 22 million Android TV set-tops. And based on data provided by research company Omdia, it controls 25% of the global Android TV set-top market. 

“Vantiva has been a significant partner in bringing the Android TV experience to customers around the world,’ said Shalini Govil-Pai, VP of TV for Google, which makes the Android TV operating system. “Vantiva reached an impressive milestone, and we're looking forward to continuing to bring innovation and entertainment to viewers for years to come.”

Since 2020, Vantiva said it has contributed to the development and deployment of the Google Common Broadcast Stack software platform across a wide array of customer premises equipment (CPE) and consumer electronics devices used to access video services. The Google Broadcast Stack allows service providers to integrate traditional broadcast streams and conditional access systems with over-the-top services.

“Android TV represents a profound shift for consumers and network service providers by delivering a unified, user-friendly platform with advanced features, such as voice search and content personalization, transforming TVs into smart, versatile entertainment hubs,” said Leopold Diouf, senior VP of the product division at Vantiva.

The global pay TV business is moving away from a reliance on services running on the Android TV operating system using proprietary mini-set-tops and dongles, and into a new phase of aggregating a multifaceted array of third-party digital services via apps compatible with a wide range of device ecosystems. 

So claims a new white paper commissioned by Toronto-based video technology company Quickplay and prepared Caretta Research. (You can download the report here.)

According to Caretta, there were nearly 130 launches of new pay TV platforms built around Google's Android TV operator tier from 2020-2021. Since the beginning of 2022, however, there have been only 38 such deployments. 

Caretta's pointy-headed report states that incumbent MVPDs still have a key advantage over "hyperscalers" like Amazon, which use content to achieve other commercial objectives, like e-commerce, as well as content rights holders like Disney, which are going direct-to-consumer.

"MVPDs tend to enjoy the benefits of incumbency: owning the billing relationship with, and direct channels to, the audience segments which spend the most on entertainment," the report states. 

In order to maintain that advantage into 2030 and beyond, MVPDs will need to evolve into app-based platforms, "built on cloud-native, open architectures enabling strategic optionality and AI-based technologies," the report says.

Further, they must compete directly with content companies and hyperscalers, aggregating a broad range of digital experiences for their subscribers. 

"In the long run, MVPDs can own the customer by building a powerful platform, aggregating not just TV and video services but also digital services which are relevant to their customers," Caretta says. 

Achieving this objective, the research firm further states, will not only make MVPD services stickier, operators will also be able to charge more for them. 

As a model of the evolving MVPD, Caretta showcased DirecTV Stream, which has moved away from reliance of proprietary Android TV set-tops to aggregating third-party digital experiences via apps that play in a range of device ecosystems. 

Four more free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels from NBCUniversal have been added to Google TV and android TV devices.

The English-language channels are Murder, She Wrote, featuring the long-running Angela Lansbury mystery series, and Universal Crime with episodes of series including Columbo, Kojak and The Rockford Files.

The Spanish-language channels are Lo Mejor de Telemundo, with hit dramas, reality series and novelas, including Casa Carrado and El Señor de los Cielos and Historias de Amor with romantic comedies and other programming aimed at bilingual audiences including Pasión de Gavilanes and Una Maid en Manhattan.

Media companies are looking at FAST channels as a way to generate streaming revenue while their direct-to-consumer subscription services lose money.

NBCU has already made deals to put FAST channels on Freevee, Xumo and The Roku Channel.

Previously, Google TV carried NBCU FAST channels including NBC News Now, Today All Day, Dateline 24/7, NBC Local Stations, Telemundo al Día, and Sky News International.

NBCUniversal’s new FAST channels on third party services like Google TV are powered by Xumo Enterprise, the business-to-business arm of Xumo that provides content owners, distributors and advertisers with FAST tools and services,

Google is working on advanced UX designs that allow the shortest possible path between your semi-controllable impulses and an actual credit card transaction. 

The Silicon Valley giant is introducing a new topline menu tab for Android TV, "Shop," that puts users one click away from renting or buying a movie or TV show. 

"Whether you are searching for a new and popular movie not yet available on other streaming services or you are looking to make a one-time movie purchase without a subscription, the Shop tab makes it easy," Google said. 

"Users can browse movies to buy or rent directly on their Android TV without needing to open multiple apps to make purchases," the tech giant added. 

The Shop tab allows users to access previously purchased content from Google Play Movies & TV, YouTube, Google TV or Android TV. Yes, we imagine purchases other than movies and TV shows are being pondered down the trail. 

Google said the new tab will start be deployed to Android TV devices in 24 countries over the next few weeks. 

Inexpensive and popular Android TV streaming gadgets based on chip sets manufactured in China are reportedly arriving laced with malware out of the box after delivery from online retailers including Amazon. 

The devices, marketed under brand names like T95Max, RockChip X12 Plus and RockChip X88 Pro 10, are based on system-on-a-chip hardware from AllWinner and RockChip. 

Reports about cheap Android mobile devices being infected with malware aren't necessarily new, but the problem seems to have also quietly proliferated to the TVOS side of Google's business, with security researchers uncovering connected TV gadgets loaded with malware and ready to coordinate cyberattacks. 

As first detailed by TechCrunch, Ontario, Canada-based IT pro Daniel Milisic published last year on GitHub  his experience with a T95, which has a four-star rating on Amazon amid 744 reviews. 

Milisic said the device began connecting out of the box with a botnet network of thousands of other infected Android TV gadgets around the world. The device, he said, immediately sought out a command and control server, which downloaded additional malware to his gadget.

The malware enabled the T95 to begin conducting ad-click fraud, clicking on ads in the background. 

In his GitHub post, Milisic published the script he used to "defang" what he described as a "no good, awful, nasty little ARM-powered TV/hobby box." 

Milisic's findings were confirmed by Electronic Frontiers Foundation security researcher Bill Budington in this report. 

In an email to Next TV Friday, Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN, said that in addition to ad fraud, the malware could be used to mine user data or cryptocurrency, among other malfeasance. 

Next TV's query Friday to Google Android TV reps for a response wasn't immediately replied to. 

Three years ago, Walmart created a new streaming gadget category, introducing sticks, dongles and hockey pucks powered by Android TV, and pricing HD streaming below $20 and 4K watching at cheaper than $30. 

Earlier this week, tech enthusiasts spotted a new FCC product registration page form submitted by “Luxshare Precision Industry Co." 

According to 9to5 Google, this AV1-capable gadget, powered by an Amlogic S905Y4 chipset, is a refresh of Walmart's Onn-branded 4K streaming device, which has largely disappeared from the retailer's real and virtual shelves in recent months. 

Notably, according 9to5 Google predicts, the product update will advanced from Android TV to Google TV.

"When we reviewed the Walmart Onn Android TV streamers in 2020, we were impressed at the overall performance to value ratio," the tech blog wrote. "At times those streamers outperformed Google’s own Chromecast at nearly half the price, and often even lower ... I couldn’t be more pleased to hear this device is coming back."

Walmart hasn't confirmed the product yet or announced a street date. 

Google continues to make progress in its quest to control the global connected living room, announcing a 36% year-over-year surge in device deployment for its Google TV and Android TV operating systems at CES last week.

Google now claims 150 million global active devices for its TVOS vs. 110 million at the beginning of 2022.

To be clear, Google isn't talking about "active users," for which Roku, which touts leadership of the North American CTV market, announced a surpassed count of 70 million at CES.

But as attention turns to the more wide-open European connected TV market, it's hard to ignore Google's quick infiltration into a business it only seemed to become serious about within the last several years.

Notably, TCL — the Hong Kong-headquartered electronics company that brought Roku to U.S. hegemony with inexpensive smart TVs that undercut Korean incumbents — said at CES that it is now the largest manufacturer of TV's powered by Google TV.

Control of the living room video operating system is vital, with connected TV advertising edging toward the $20 billion mark this year in the U.S. alone.

Beyond that, there are prizes ranging from data collection to proliferation of broader device ecosystems, such as home automation gadgets.

Certainly, Roku itself factored in all of these considerations when it announced the launch of its own branded TV line at CES. ■

Google has reached a timely deal with Hisense subsidiary VIDAA to have Google TV and Android TV devices carry the TVOS maker's sports content, a portfolio that includes the FIFA+ app.

FIFA+ (aka "FIFA Plus") is the official streaming app of the eponymous global governing body for soccer, which of course is producing a little event right now called The World Cup in Qatar that expects to draw a global TV audience of around 5 billion viewers by the time it concludes on Dec. 18.

And gateway OS maker VIDAA, a software platform company owned by the world's No. 2 smart TV maker, just so happens to be the exclusive home of FIFA+, an app that includes archived and live soccer events, as well as original soccer-themed programming.

With expansion into Google TV/Android TV gateway OS, VIDAA will grow the reach of FIFA+ and its overall sports programming portfolio into UK, Canada, Latin America, Germany, Australia and Japan.

Meanwhile VIDAA's longstanding ad-tech partner, Tremor, will act as the exclusive global connected TV  monetization platform for FIFA+ across all devices powered by VIDAA and Android TV operating systems.

“Our relationships with Google, FIFA and Tremor International will bring scaled opportunities for advertisers to reach hyper-engaged sports fans all over the world with precision and custom creative on the biggest screen in the house,” said Guy Edri, president of VIDAA, in a statement.

Added Jonathan Zepp, managing director of media and entertainment partnerships for Google: "Through this collaboration, we're able to help World Cup fans around the world celebrate and tune in wherever they are through exclusive and engaging content across Android TV OS devices." ■

As consumers have increased the number of streaming apps they use, device storage has become a major issue.

On average, according to Google, smart TVs and other connected TV gadgets have around 8 gigabytes of digital storage ... or less. That's pretty tight, especially when you compare it to the 64GB size of storage found in smart phones. 

It's a big reason why an app you haven't used in a while has disappeared from your TVOS when you go to look for it again. 

Also read: For Fast-Aging Streaming Devices, 8GB Is Not Enough

Google has been pushing its device partners to adopt 16GB as their digital storage standard -- not an easy ask, given the heated price competition in the global smart TV market. The tech giant has also been working on a number of software solutions to make its Google/Android TV device storage more efficient. 

On Monday, for example, Google formally announced its transition to the new "Android App Bundles" publishing format, which will replace the legacy “Android Package Kits” (APKs) format in May 2023. Google said that App Bundles will make storage of each streaming app 20% more efficient, on average. 

The new AAB format also allows apps to be archived instead of fully installed. This allows users to store a shortcut to a full download, resulting in space savings of around 60%, on average. ▪️

Last week, a 293-page filing leaked from the Competition Commission of India suggested that Google and Amazon were once again at odds, with the former intimidating its Android partners from making devices, mostly smart TVs, powered by Amazon's Fire TV operating system.

But as the tech and streaming businesses pondered the implications of a renewed tech battle between Amazon and Google, it appears the kerfuffle had already been resolved.

On Thursday, Chinese smart TV maker TCL announced a new line of QLED smart TVs, earmarked for Europe this fall, powered by Amazon Fire TV. TCL was one of the manufacturers identified in the Competition Commission report as being warned by Google not to use Amazon Fire TV if it still wanted to also license Google's Android TV OS. (Our sibling pub, TechRadar, has a pretty good overview of these new TCL sets here.)

Technology news publication Protocol reported, also on Thursday, that an agreement was made "in recent months" between Google and Amazon that enabled the latter to license its Fire TV OS to not only TCL, but other companies mentioned in the report, such as Hisense and Xiaomi. (Notably, those two companies have already announced their own Fire TV smart TV models.)

Asked about the report by Indian regulators during a product briefing attended by Protocol Thursday, Daniel Rausch, Amazon VP of entertainment devices, said, "Its findings speak for themselves." He didn't comment further on the matter.

TCL announced amid the Consumer Electronics Show in January that it was shipping 10 million smart TVs each year powered by Google's Android TV, or its "Google TV" successor brand.

In the U.S., TCL is also a major supplier of TVs powered by Roku. It had been restricted from licensing Amazon Fire TV based on years-old rules Google plied to Android TV licensing partners under what is known as the "Android Compatibility Commitment" (ACC), restricting licensors from using "forked" versions of Android software. 

At its source code, Fire TV is based on Android, and is thus defined as a forked iteration of the product. 

Resolving this issue will have major benefits for Amazon at a time during which gateway OS control of the European streaming market is very much up for grabs. 

As Protocol's always-dialed-in Janko Roettgers noted, Google benefits, too, as it would seem to ease the antitrust pressures Google is getting from regulators worldwide regarding Android's market dominance. (There remains some doubt, however, that one agreement will solve that global issue for Google.)

There's also the matter of TCL's smart phone business -- restricting the company from Android TV would also restrict Google's software from the devices of a key mobile manufacturer.

In the Indian regulatory report, Amazon executives -- going on the offensive -- described the impacts of the ACC (formerly known as the "Anti-Fragmentation Agreement"): "In several cases, the [smart TV original equipment manufacturer (OEM)] has indicated that it cannot work with Amazon despite a professed desire to do so in connection with smart TVs. In others, the OEM has tried and failed to obtain 'permission' from Google."

In a statement to Protocol, Google continued to defend its Android rules, despite the recent agreement with Amazon:

"Our focus as a platform is to provide consistent and secure software experiences to users and developers, across our ecosystem of partner devices. If a device is incompatible, we cannot guarantee that the apps on Android will work reliably, which could put user security at risk." ■

Shipments of smart TVs powered by Android TV and its predecessor TVOS, Google TV, have more than doubled since the beginning of 2019, accounting for only 10% of the market to a current level of more than 20%, according to research company Omdia. 

At a presentation delivered last week ahead of the IFA conference in Berlin (and covered by FlatpanelsHD.com), Omdia analyst Paul Gray called the European smart TVOS market a three-horse race between Google, LG and its webOS software, and Samsung's Tizen.

The analyst even described Android TV's proliferation as a "consistent growth story." 

In North America, Roku remains the dominant TVOS natively installed into smart TVs, followed by Amazon Fire TV. But based on expanded product availability, Google appears to be gaining ground here, as well. 

More than 90% of the smart TVs shipped globally now include a native TVOS vs. only around 80% back in 2019, Omdia said. 

Gray added that the global smart TV market is entering its "third streaming wave" -- not only are video streaming pucks and dongles being displaced by smart TVs with natively installed TVOS, but cloud gaming capabilities on these smart TVs now threaten the viability of external gaming consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation, as well. ■

CommScope launched HomeVista on Monday at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2022 in Philadelphia, a portfolio that allows service providers using streaming technologies to simplify and accelerate the introduction of new video services.  

According to CommScope, HomeVista solutions allows service providers to deliver video services that offer streaming services and live TV with an individualized user experience, introduce streamer services to the market faster, and reduce development costs by avoiding fully customized solutions. 

HomeVista also uses open-source software like AndroidTV and RDK to deliver streaming applications that may include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, YouTube. The RDK-based HomeVista includes AppCloud from ActiveVideo, which gives operators the ability to deliver the latest OTT content and applications. 

“Our service provider customers are looking to us to offer next-generation solutions that combine top tier OTT applications with their streamed TV services to take their subscribers’ viewing experience to the next level,” CommScope Home Networks president Joe Chow in a press release. “Our HomeVista portfolio enables our service provider customers to bring streaming video services to market faster than ever before.”

HomeVista also lets service providers customize the consumer experience through the installation of their own TV app, customizable splash screen, RCU and streamer case. CommScope Home Networks Professional Services also can provide additional customization on the HomeVista platform. ■

Xperi Corp. announced that the Vewd OpX, a software that helps power pay TV set-tops across Europe and North America, is being expanded to Android TV Operator Tier. 

In fact, well before Xperi made the announcement at the IBC Show in Amsterdam late last week, and even before Xperi purchased Oslo, Norway-based Vewd for $109 million in early July, OpX had been integrated into the proprietary Android TV-powered set-tops used by ATSC 3.0-based virtual MVPD Evoca here in the U.S. 

“Android TV is increasingly popular as an OS for pay TV set-top boxes, and with this new implementation, we’re excited to simplify operators’ path into the Android TV world,” Sascha Prüter, Vewd senior VP of product management, said in a statement. 

"This latest deployment on Android TV demonstrates the flexibility of Vewd OpX in enabling operators to deliver a consistent user experience across OS platforms and to manage all variants via a unified cloud management system.”

Added Mitch Weinraub, Evoca VP of product management: “For our service built on the ATSC 3.0 standard, we needed a robust, flexible solution for customizing the user experience on Android TV set-top boxes. Vewd OpX fulfills Google’s requirements for the Android TV Operator Tier, enabling easy content discovery and consumption across broadcast and OTT channels, apps, games, and more using our new receiver, called Pilot.” ■

ATSC 3.0 coalition Pearl TV has partnered with iWedia, a division of Belgian video middleware developer Zappware, to offer NextGen TV-centric system-on-a-chip solutions to companies making smart TVs and other streaming devices powered by Google's Android TV OS.

“Android TV is one of the most versatile operating systems in existence, powering smart televisions and streaming boxes for nearly a decade,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, in a statement sent to Next TV a day later than most other competing B2B news outlets. 

“With a loyal, tech-savvy and content-loving consumer base, this platform enables Android TV manufacturers to onboard quickly and accelerate their introduction of compelling NextGen TV consumer features with sophisticated SoC technology powered by iWedia," Schelle added. 

Pearl TV is the coalition of broadcast company's leading the industry's transition to ATSC 3.0, aka NextGen TV, the first major tech overhaul for broadcast receivers since 1996, 

According to Pearl TV, there are currently around 110 ATSC 3.0-capable smart TV models available at retail, offered by Hisense, Sony, Samsung and LG starting at $599.

“NextGen TV has proven to be one of the fastest growing new technologies introduced to consumers and this partnership with Pearl TV opens up a seat at the table for Android TV manufacturers,” said Hans-Juergen, CEO of iWedia. “We are proven pioneers in Android TV, recently surpassing six million operating system deployments, and we’re thrilled to partner with Pearl TV and help manufacturers who want to streamline and accelerate their introduction of products with this cutting-edge broadcast technology.” 

Free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services are all the rage as content providers and distributors look for any way to squeeze profits from streaming video, and though there is a danger that too much of a good thing could once again saturate the market, Barclays Group believes the segment could end up taking share away from more traditional streamers.

The number of FAST services has grown significantly over the past two to three years with services from traditional media giants (Peacock, Tubi, Pluto, Xumo, Vudu and Crackle), hardware vendors — (Freevee, Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels) and independents (Plex, Kanopy, Hoopla) and more are on the way. Warner Bros. Discovery has said that it plans to launch a FAST service at some point in the future as has Android TV.

Also: More Scripps Channels Go FAST in Deal with Vizio

Low barriers to entry and lower costs for content — most of the services offer classic TV series and older movies — make FASTs attractive to content creators and distributors alike. But in a research note, Barclays Group media analyst Kannan Venkateshwar asked, despite those plusses, is FAST sustainable?

One drawback is the lack of differentiation of content between the services. In his report, Venkateshwar noted that content overlap for FAST services is more than 80%, compared to 3.9% for Disney Plus and 9% for HBO Max.

Also: FAST Usage Was Up 9 points in the First Five Months of 2022

What FAST services lack in content differentiation they apparently more than make up for in availability. In his report, Venkateshwar noted that FAST services may have higher penetration than any single premium subscription service because of the breadth of their distribution, through smart or connected TVs and other means. Smart/connected TV penetration is 87% in the U.S. and 40% globally, and every connected TV has access to the full suite of FAST services as well as streaming offerings like YouTube and TikTok.

Availability is Key

“Access to premium services on the other hand is based on penetration of SVOD services and consumer propensity to pay for multiple services,” Venkateshwar wrote. Although the average U.S. household subscribes to 4.7 streaming services, he added, the one with the highest penetration (Netflix) is at 56% while overall streaming penetration is 85%. 

“This implies that the mix within this SVOD basket consumed by the average household is not constant and there is a lot of switching based on content release schedules,” he continued, adding that it also accounts for the high churn levels of most SVOD services. 

While engagement for individual FAST services is below that of their SVOD counterparts, combined they account for more minutes than subscription offerings. Barclays, citing Nielsen research for one week this year (July 25), noted that together Tubi (4.4 billion minutes), Roku Channel (3.5 billion minutes), Pluto (5.1 billion minutes) and Peacock (3.5 billion minutes), edged out Amazon Prime Video (15.1 billion minutes) and was nearly twice that of Disney Plus (9.6 billion minutes) and almost three times that of HBO Max (6 billion minutes). That gap could narrow further as awareness for FAST offerings increases. That’s also where aggregation services like Android TV, Roku, and Comcast’s Flex offering could become a factor, Venkateshwar wrote. 

Also: David Zaslav and the [Streaming] Deathly Hallows  

“With television viewership increasingly determined by aggregation services and the still growing clutter of thousands of titles across streaming services, we believe content choices are likely to be increasingly determined by the recommendation engines that can look across streaming services,” Venkateshwar wrote. “However, with every major recommendation engine having its own affiliated free ad supported streaming service (Comcast Flex-Peacock, Xumo, Vudu, Android TV — new Channels service, YouTube, Amazon Fire — Freevee, Roku — Roku Channel etc.), content on these services is likely to feature as prominently on TV screens as premium content for SVOD services.”

It’s All About Engagement

Ad revenue for FAST services is still low. According to Barclays, the top three services ad-revenue-wise are Pluto TV ($1.2 billion), Peacock ($1.16 billion) and Tubi ($653 million). And though upcoming AVOD products from Netflix and Disney Plus could further cut into that ad revenue pie, Venkateshwar wrote that it may all come down to overall engagement. 

Also: Is Engagement More Valuable Than Subscribers? 

“One of the most important drivers of engagement however may be the recommendation engine sitting outside these services,” the analyst wrote. “This in turn could turn streaming advertising workflow to a process not that dissimilar to search where the recommendation engine ultimately determines how GRPs are allocated across services, potentially in return for a share of ad revenues.” 

Walled Gardens and Open Spaces

Venkateshwar continued that this could lead to a split in the overall streaming ad ecosystem, similar to what has happened in the digital advertising arena. He estimated that today about 34% of time spent online is with so-called “walled gardens” like Facebook, Twitter, Snap and Pinterest, while the remainder is spent on the open Web, which also accounts for about 40% of ad revenue.

Over time, FAST could act more like the open Web, Venkateshwar wrote, while SVOD is more like a walled garden. 

“This process may result in advertising on these free streaming services being lower-priced fungible programmatic inventory, with CPMs being more comparable to services like YouTube and TikTok,” Venkateshwar wrote. 

According to the analyst, walled gardens are more likely to have CPMs that resemble television because they would have more control over ad delivery and measurement. But he added that across both segments the availability of inventory will most likely be determined by recommendation engines, which could result in lower ad margins. 

Still, Venkateshwar believes FAST services will become a larger category, albeit more fragmented than SVOD or AVOD spaces, making their success more dependent on aggregators. And though the same holds true for traditional SVOD and AVOD offerings like Netflix and Disney Plus, they have considerably more brand awareness as well as their own content franchises that should help drive engagement.  

“With Android TV launching its own free streaming service, Comcast already having Xumo/Vudu/Peacock, Amazon having Freevee and Roku having Roku Channel, we wouldn’t be surprised if independent free ad-supported streaming services like Pluto and Tubi, which have among the highest engagement today, end up declining in importance and consumption skews towards services owned by aggregators,” Venkateshwar wrote. “Therefore, we may see a significant skew in revenues across ad-supported streaming services over time, focused on a small set of services despite broader fragmentation in free service availability.” ■

Google is pushing its hardware partners who license Google TV and Android TV to up the storage capacity of their devices to at least 16 gigabytes. 

As first reported by Protocol, Google met with manufacturing partners who use its TVOS products last month at a closed-door event, discussing ways to optimize their gadgets for the pending release of Android 13. 

Google encouraged a number of new features, including integration of connected TV devices with fitness trackers, as well as support for Bluetooth 5.0.

The push for additional memory comes amid rancor in the tech press late last spring that Google's own Chromecast with Google TV device and its 8GB of random access memory isn't up to the task of handling Android 13.

"8GB of storage was not enough for a streaming stick in 2020, and it’s even worse a couple of years later," 9to5 Google lamented. "This is restrictive enough for security updates, but it also limits how often Google can address bugs and other quirks that may arise. Worse yet, it also prevents any form of major system update -- or at least makes it much more difficult."

As 9to5 Google also noted, in a streaming industry in which a garden variety app like Paramount Plus uses 530 megabytes all on its own, most devices used to stream video in the living room aren't up to snuff. 

Few CTV devices have more than 8MB of storage, however. In fact, sources close to Roku say that the latest version of its highest end player, the Ultra, only has 4GB of storage. 

TVOS companies like Roku aim to keep their hardware requirements low to entice OEM partnerships and further proliferate their platforms. However, Google, which operates under a much more powerful market capitalization, has been more aggressive in urging its manufacturing partners to support forward-looking standards, such as the AV1 codec for 4K streaming. 

Google has had a longstanding rule about its OEM hardware partners using a "forked" version of Android TV, that is an iteration that has been stripped of all recognizable, consumer-effacing Google services, a la Amazon Fire TV. 

But for the second time in the last month, one of Google's Android TV smart TV partners is coming out with a new model powered by Amazon's TVOS -- Xaomi this week announced a new "F2" line of Fire TV-enabled 4K/HDR10 smart TVs for the UK market. 

The move follows Hisense's introduction of its own Fire TV models last month. 

At that time, there was speculation in online pubs that cover Google stridently that the tech company's terms of service might have loosened a bit. Many of Google's smart TV OEM partners also make sets powered by Roku, but this is the first time Fire TV models from these CE makers have surfaced. 

While Google faces one more competitive headwind in its quest to control the global living room, the company does finally seem to be on the move internationally with its own Chromecast with Google TV connected TV dongle. 

Introduced in October 2020, the device has only been available in a handful of countries besides the U.S. But deployment will soon expand to 12 additional nations, including Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, and New Zealand. India, Taiwan and South Korea are on the list, as well. 

Meanwhile, further extending Google's TV reach, the company announced that its Google TV app is now available for Apple iOS mobile devices, replacing the Google Play Movies and TV app in Apple's app store. 

Among other capabilities, the software will enable users of Apple mobile devices to use their gadgets as remote controls for Android TV- and Google TV-powered smart TVS, dongles, etc. 

Xperi Holdings, marketer of the aspiring TiVo Stream 4K CTV device/platform, said it has taken support for YouTube TV to the next level, making it a core part of the Stream OS. 

Not only does live TV from Google's virtual pay TV service now surface in the Stream program guide, that content is now discoverable throughout the Stream user experience, and is now also integrated into main voice and text search functions. 

“The highly requested YouTube TV addition represents the largest content-related integration update since the launch of TiVo Stream 4K,” said Ben Maughan, general manager of the Stream platform, in a statement. 

The deeper embedding of Google’s live TV service seems curious, given that it was just 11 months ago that Xperi — which bought TiVo two years ago for $3 million — strongly signaled that it's moving away from Google's Android TV software, which is the foundation to the TiVo Stream 4K OS. 

Google’s pivot into its own devices powered by its OS, which it now calls Google TV, meant that Xperi, based on competitive imperative, would alter its core software away from Google as it migrates the Stream platform from merely a device on TiVo Stream 4K dongles into a full-fledged OS that powers smart TVs worldwide. 

The TiVo-Xperi merger was sold on the notion that Xperi’s established entry into the smart TV OEM business would pave the way for a TiVo OS to compete head-on in the global market with Roku, Amazon and Samsung for control of the connected TV home. 

But it remains unclear as to when those Stream-powered smart TVs will ever hit the market, and what the OS will look like once it does. It’s also unclear as to how many TiVo Stream 4K dongles are in the market 24 months after the product's introduction. 

For what it's worth, you can now pick one up off of Amazon for $29. ■

In a shift that will impact the platforms consumers all over the world use to stream video, China's TCL is poised to overtake Korea's LG as the No. 2 global supplier of smart TVs this year. 

According to Korean electronics news site The Elec, which cites data from research company Omdia, TCL is ordering 36.5 flat panel displays from its vendors this year vs. 34.3 million from LG. Market leader Samsung has ordered 55.6 million displays

These orders don't necessarily translate into shipments, but they are good rough indicators as to how many unit shipment and sales each manufacturers expects in a given year.

In 2021, LG shipped 27.33 million smart TVs, according to Omdia data, while TCL shipped 24.57 million sets. TCL, which roared onto the global smart TV scene in 2017 with low-cost LED sets that undercut Korean rivals LG and Samsung, has been steadily closing the unit-sales gap with LG for several years. 

The story here isn't about revenue. LG has hooked a fast-growing advanced advertising business to the proprietary operating system that powers its premium smart TVs, webOS. 

TCL licenses the Roku OS and, to a growing extent, Google's Android TV and Google TV, to power its lower-priced smart TVs. However, as TCL swells in stature, so does the prophecy recently put forth by Roku CEO Anthony Wood, who last month predicted that Roku, Google TV and Amazon Fire TV would someday displace the proprietary OS software provided by Samsung and LG. 

Roku has 60.1 million active users, 88% of which are in the U.S., according to information released by Guggenheim just last week. As TCL ramps up sales of Roku-powered sets in regions including Europe, those numbers will certainly shift. 

Ditto for Google -- in January, TCL said that it has now deployed 10 million devices powered by either Android TV or its prodigy, Google TV. 

Google said it's begun testing Dolby 5.1 surround sound on devices powered by Roku, as well as Google TV and Android TV. 

"We know 5.1 audio is important to many of you, so we wanted to share an update. We’re currently testing 5.1 audio on Google TV, Android TV, and Roku, and if everything runs smoothly, we can expect 5.1 audio to launch on those devices next," reads a message published Monday from the YouTube TV Twitter handle. 

To take advantage of such a feature, of course, users would have to have a five-channel audio system, with subwoofer, supported by Dolby 5.1.

Google has already enabled support for the Dolby 5.1surround sound format on smart TVs made by Samsung, LG and Vizio. 

Dolby 5.1 support for Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV are is on the way, Google confirmed. 

"We’re still working internally and with partners to enable 5.1 on Apple TV, Fire TV, and game consoles. We don’t like keeping you waiting, but we’re excited for you to hear 5.1 audio soon. Our current compatible devices can be found here: http://yt.be/yttvsurround," YouTube TV added in a follow-up tweet. 

Users of the Apple TV app on Google TV and Android TV no longer have the ability to rent and buy movies, as well as subscribe to streaming service Apple TV Plus, directly in the app. 

When an Apple TV user on Google TV or Android TV tries to rent or buy a premium movie, or subscribe to Apple TV Plus, they're now presented with a button that says, "How to Watch." Click on that, and users receive a message instructing them to make their purchase on their iPhone, iPad or other devices. Users can then access their purchase within the library of their Apple TV app on Google's platform, or sign onto Apple TV Plus if a subscription has been established outside the app. 

The limitation appears to be platform-wide across both Google TV and Android TV. It showed up on our Chromecast with Google TV dongle here at Next TV headquarters Monday. But the Apple TV app running on Google TV for TCL and Sony smart TVs is reportedly now functioning the same way. Users of Android TV-powered Nvidia Shield devices began griping about the accessibility issue last week. 

Sure, it's  just a niche usability issue with a work-around -- users can make the purchase on other devices and still use them in Apple TV for Google CTV platforms -- but the broader context is the continued friction between the tech giants, especially over the issue of revenue sharing on in-app purchases. 

Neither Apple or Google has responded to requests for comments from the myriad tech publications that either discovered, or confirmed, this dynamic over the weekend (we can't tell who first broke this). However, as The Verge suggests, it's likely that "Apple no longer wants to give Google a cut of those individual in-app purchases."

A typical revenue share for an in-app purchase is around 30%.

Notably, Apple has never allowed Apple TV users on Amazon devices including Amazon Fire TV to conduct transactions without leaving the app. 

Also notable: Apple TV app users on Roku, Samsung, LG, Xbox and PlayStation devices can make in-app transactions.

Android TV and its progeny, Google TV, are now being used in 110 million "active devices" worldwide, according to figures released by Google Thursday to 9to5 Google. 

The figure represents almost 38% growth over the 80 million active devices that Google reported for its connected TV OS platforms back in May of last year. 

Unlike Roku, which recently touted 56 million "active user accounts," Google doesn't release figures for the number of actual humans using its platforms. The other major tech company in the connected TV OS market, Amazon, appears to have just moved from "users" to "devices." Amazon said at CES earlier this week that Fire TV has 150 million active devices. 

As for Google, it appears to be rising quickly in the connected TV OS market. The tech giant now claims seven of the top 10 global smart TV OEM companies as partners, integrating either Android TV or Google TV into its sets. 

China's TCL, a big driver of Roku proliferation, said earlier this week that it is now selling 10 million TVs a year powered by either of the two Google operating systems. ■

TCL revealed at CES in Las Vegas Tuesday that it's now selling 10 million smart TVs a year powered by either Google TV or Android TV. 

It's a notable benchmark, considering the Chinese electronics company introduced its first Android TV models as recently as June 2020. TCL's first Google TV sets didn't hit the market until last summer. 

Google said in May of 2021 that around 80 million devices worldwide used Android TV, or its progeny, Google TV. This builds some credence to the recent narrative that Google is finally serious about investing in the video business, and that it has traction vs. Roku and Amazon in terms of building a viable operating system for streaming video. 

"TCL has also worked closely with Google to introduce the newest smart TV experience with Google TV," TCL said in a statement. "New features like hands-free voice control with Google Assistant, a content-first home screen and innovative ways to discover content has enriched TCL’s television lineup. Currently, TCL is one of Google’s largest TV partners worldwide, selling more than 10M sets annually featuring Google TV and Android TV."

For both TCL and Google, the announced tidbit of info offsets the negative news from December, when TCL's Google TV-powered 5-series and 6-series TVs were temporarily pulled off the shelves of Best Buy in the U.S. for alleged performance issues, now reportedly resolved. 

After floundering for nearly 18 months with limited uptake for its paid tiers, Comcast and NBCUniversal may have finally found the right promotional partner to goose subscription signups for Peacock. 

Those U.S. users of Google TV and Android TV devices who have activated their account profiles from Nov. 22 through Dec. 31 will get six months free of the $4.99-a-month Peacock Premium service. 

The connected TV OS business is a competitive one, but Google will undoubtedly sell millions of Google TV/Android TV-enabled smart TVs, as well as streaming sticks and dongles, this holiday shopping season. That represents an opportunity for Peacock, which claimed more than 54 million sign-ups, mostly for its free tier, as the end of the third quarter, but which is believed to have less than 20 million users paying for Peacock Premium and the $9.99 completely-ad-free Peacock Premium Plus. 

Aggressive promotions have helped proliferate Apple TV Plus. For the first 18 months of the platform, Apple gave away the $4.99-a-month service for a full year to anyone who bought an iPhone, Macbook Pro or any other Apple gadget. 

Making a wave of Google TV announcements, Google also said that Pluto TV programming is being added to the new "Live" tab within the Google TV OS. 

According to the latest Nielsen figures, YouTube controls 6% of all connected TV viewing, trailing only Netflix (7%). 

So it's not surprising that China's ByteDance would like to capture a little of that same momentum for TikTok, another short-form, user-generated video platform that surpassed 1 billion users worldwide in September on the Android mobile platform alone. 

So, after debuting on Amazon Fire TV devices earlier this month, ByteDance said that the TikTok app is now supported by smart TVs sold in the U.S. powered by Android TV and Google TV, as well as Samsung and LG's native operating systems. 

Also read: TikTok App Comes to Amazon Fire TV

TikTok's connected TV initiative isn't brand new. For instance, the TikTok app debuted on Samsung TV's sold in Europe a year ago. 

While describing its mobile apps as delivering "little bursts of joy," ByteDance said its TikTok mobile apps deliver “a TV home-viewing experience, making it easy to watch content from our For You and Following feeds on the big screen. This includes the most liked and viewed videos across a huge range of categories, from gaming and comedy to food and animals.”

Notably, TikTok still isn't supported by devices, including smart TVs, powered by the leading U.S. connected TV OS, Roku. 

After successfully testing the new AV1 streaming codec on Android mobile devices since February 2020, Netflix said it will now use the technology to stream 4K video to PlayStation 4 Pro game consoles and certain Android TV-powered smart TVs that support AV1. 

"We want our members to have brilliant playback experiences, and our players are designed to adapt to the changing network conditions," reads a Netflix blog post jointly penned by a gaggle of company engineers. 

"When the current condition cannot sustain the current video quality, our players can switch to a lower bitrate stream to reduce the chance of a playback interruption. Given AV1 consumes less bandwidth for any given quality level, our players are able to sustain the video quality for a longer period of time and do not need to switch to a lower bitrate stream as much as before," the post added. 

On some TVs using AV1, the engineers added, "noticeable drops in quality were reduced by as much as 38%."

AV1's improvements come at a cost--computer processing power must be upgraded on streaming hardware in order to support it. 

Google, which jointly developed AV1 with Netflix, is down for the plan. 

Netflix said its initial launch fo AV1 will be to "a number of AV1 capable TVs, as well as TVs connected with PS4 Pro." Google mandated earlier this year to OEM smart TV companies who license its Android TV operating system that they start building AV1 support into their sets. So presumably, the TVs Netflix refers to are Android TV/Google TV flavored. 

Notably, the top maker of connected TV OS in the U.S., Roku, is said to be resisting AV1 hardware upgrades. Roku executives have gone on record saying their smart TV original equipment maker relationships depend on Roku keeping the hardware requirements needed to run its OS minimal. 

Currently, Roku is at odds with Google over a new contract to support the YouTube and YouTube TV apps on its platform. A key issue in that dispute is reportedly Google's insistence that Roku get with the program on AV1 so that YouTube can start distributing 4K video via the codec more widely. 

Google's presence in the U.S. smart TV OS market just got a little bigger, with the introduction of Android TV-powered OLED sets from China's Skyworth into the domestic market. 

Shenzhen-based Skyworth, a niche player in the U.S., has been a longtime smart TV OEM partner to Google internationally. And it has sold lower end sets in the U.S. on Amazon for some time, as well. 

But the introduction of 55-inch and 65-inch XC9000 Series "organic light emitting diode" (OLED) TVs continues Google's emergence into the higher end of the U.S. smart TV market.

In August, for example, TCL introduced iterations of its 5-Series and 6-Series sets powered by the new Google TV overlay to Android TV. Notably, the 6-Series--previously only available in the U.S. in Roku flavor-- is based on QLED Mini LED display technology. Prices for both models significantly undercut the leaders in the premium smart TV market, Samsung, LG and Vizio. 

Also read: TCL Debuts 5- and 6-Series Google TV-powered Smart TVs

As for the Skyworth XC9000-series models, both iterations include 60Hz refresh rates, peak brightness of 500 nits, support for HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and three HDMI ports with support for HDMI 2.0. 

Prices also undercut the Korea-based U.S. market leaders, with the 55-inch XC9000 model starting at $1,200. 

Giving another indicator that it wants to starting seeing other streaming OS makers, noted Roku smart TV OEM partner TCL has launched a new $80 HD camera specifically designed for its Android TV and Google TV product lines. 

TCL said the launch of its provocatively named Full HD USB Camera (full spec sheet here), coincides with the launch last week of new iterations of its 5-Series and 6-Series smart TVs, which had previously been available only in Roku flavor, but are now powered by the new Google TV operating system, as well. 

Connecting to the TCL smart TV via USB, the camera lets users videoconference with up to 32 people, activating Google's Duo conferencing app via Google Assistant voice command by merely stating, "Hey Google, open Duo."

For now, TCL is selling the camera only as an add-on.

As Roku likes to not, its operating system is "purpose built" for streaming, making it more cost-effective for smart TV makers to proliferate its OS. But in this case, the smart TV maker seems to have found a use for Google's more robust Android TV platform, as well as the recently introduced Google TV search and recommendation overlay. 

For its part, TCL has stressed recently that it isn't abandoning Roku, with which it just launched an aggressive European partnership expansion.

Rather, TCL claims that it sees, down the road, the smart TV OS business distilling to just Google TV and Roku, leaving powerful competitors like Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Tizen and LG webOS in the dust. 

The global pay TV market will decline from 921 million households in 2020 to around 680 million in 2026, and the Android TV operating system will control the lions share of the remaining set-top boxes, according to new data published by Rethink Research. 

The research company predicts that Android TV Operator Tier will grow from a current market share in the global pay TV market of around 5% to about 23% by 2026, making it the most proliferate OS. 

The recession of the pay TV market will see the installed base of proprietary set-tops decline from 1.21 billion in 2020 to just 824,67 million in 2026, with annual shipments dropping from 242.6 million to 184.8 million. 

“Operators will ditch resource-thirsty legacy Linux-based proprietary set tops,” with these systems accounting for 85% of set-tops last year, but only 48% by 2026, Rethink predicts. 

In their place, operators will turn to Android TV, Huawei’s HarmonyOS and RDK, with Google emerging as the dominant OS provider. Reference Design Kit (RDK), an open software standard for video set-tops, broadband gateways and other telecom CPE led by Comcast and Liberty Global, is expected by Rethink to control somewhere between 6% - 10% of the pay TV set-top market by 2026. 

Rethink also predicts that Android TV will control a quarter of connected smart TVs and connected TV devices by 2026. 

Notably, Rethink believes that longer term, Google will face competition in the global device OS market from China’s Huawei, with HarmonyOS emerging as “a ubiquitous cross-platform OS that will also increasingly take on Android in neutral markets outside China, especially in APAC and Latin America.”

Google has added a little celebrity appeal to the search and recommendation acumen of its new Google TV interface.

The new “Watch With Me” feature will include interstitials from well known entertainers, artists and cultural icons, who will share the movies and TV shows that inspire them. 

Emmy-winning actress and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox (Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black) will be the first celebrity featured in Watch With Me, which will live in the “For You” section of Google TV’s top line menu. 

Google TV is the new search and recommendation layer designed to live over Google’s Android TV OS. Google eventually hopes to integrate Google TV across all of the third-party licensed device iterations of Android TV, while rebranding the entire enterprise as “Google TV.”

Google TV, the top-layer search-and-discovery interface that Google recently added onto its Android TV OS, has generated a “2x” increase in the amount of video streaming conducted on the Android TV platform, according to Shalini Govil-Pai, VP of Android TV and Google TV. 

“We’ve seen engagement rise by a lot,” she said, speaking on an afternoon Q&A session with Lightshed’s Richard Greenfield Tuesday, an event produced by Questex. "Users are spending less time searching and more time watching what they want to watch."

Google TV was introduced in October with Google’s debut of the Chromecast with Google TV HDMI streaming dongle. Govil-Pai confirmed Google’s objective for all of its third-party Android TV partners to eventually adopt Google TV, and to eventually transition its whole OS enterprise under the Google TV brand. 

“But Google TV is built onto Android TV, which continues to be our operating system,” she said. 

She noted that TCL, which began patterning with Google on Android TV-powered smart TVs last year, will debut a Google TV-powered set “in the next month or two.”

Govil-Pai was also asked if Google intends to more aggressively market its OS, which is still a niche software in the U.S. compared to the much larger Roku. 

Google will and its smart TV OEM partners will also begin more aggressively marketing Google TV as they “lean into the brand ahead of the holidays,” she added. 

In terms of global usage, Google’s Android TV just might be the fastest growing connected TV platform in the world.

According to data revealed by the Google Play Store, the YouTube app for Android TV has now been downloaded more than 100 million times. That’s double the 50 million Google reported in early June 2020. (Tip of the hat to Android Police for being the first to notice this.)

While not a precise metric, downloads of the world's most popular video app are an indicator that growth is quickening in terms of Android TV platform usage. 

Google officially said in may that Android TV devices had surpassed 80 million. 

In fact, Android TV seems to be growing faster than its two, ostensibly larger, key rivals. 

At the time YouTube for Android TV recorded its 50 millionth download five months into 2020, both Roku and Amazon Fire TV were touting active users in the range of just over 40 million.

Roku reported 53.6 million active users as of the end of the first quarter. Amazon said Fire TV surpassed 50 million active users in December, but hasn’t updated a precise figure since. 

According to Strategy Analytics data released in March, both Roku and Amazon Fire TV control 6.4% of the global installed base of connected TV devices—everything from HDMI dongles to smart TVs. Android TV controlled 5.9%.

Last week, Walmart started selling its own Onn-branded OTT players and dongles, powered by Android TV. 

And as Google finds more and more ways to reach consumers in the direct-to-consumer market, pay TV operators are increasingly adopting Android TV via the operator tier iteration of the product.

Just this week, video tech vendor Evolution Digital said its Android TV-powered eStream 4K set-top is now being used by TDS Telecom in the operator’s IPTV video service. 

Ultimately, of course, these so-called “platform wars” will determine which companies control the playing field for advanced advertising and usage data. 

Centennial, Colo.-based video tech company Evolution Digital touted a key customer win for its Android TV-based eStream 4K set-top, securing deployment with Madison, Wis.-based cable operator TDS Telecom.

TDS touts 1.2 million broadband, TV and phone connections across 24 states. Currently, the MSO is using CommScope’s Arris-branded set-tops with its TDS TV+ IPTV system, which relies on TiVo software running on an Android TV operator tier OS. (In April, CommScope unveiled a plan to spin off its struggling set-top and broadband gateway business.)

In addition to integrating the eStream 4K set-top into the TDS TV+ customer premises equipment portfolio, TDS will also deploy Evolution Digital's eDM back-office software-as-a-service solution (SaaS) product, which will enable the cable operator to monitor devices, perform diagnostics and compute analytics.

TDS joins an Evolution Digital client roster that also includes Liberty Latin America, Blue Stream, Cincinnati Bell, Grande, Metronet, RCN, Midco, Blue Ridge and Service Electric Cablevision. 

“As the popularity of streaming 4K UHD content, online gaming and other services continues to grow, customer premise equipment has increasingly had a larger role in meeting the consumer requirements for connected media experiences,” said Marc Cohen, executive VP of marketing and sales for Evolution Digital, in a statement. “Our Android TV offering, coupled with eDM, facilitate both enhanced customer satisfaction and streamlined OPEX, as operators like TDS can now avoid time and money spent towards truck rolls, equipment replacement and blind, reactive troubleshooting.”

After admittedly “stumbling” with the execution of the Sling TV user experience since the platform launched back in 2015, Dish Network is working quickly to catch up. 

In the latest signal of progress, Dish said Tuesday that Sling TV is now natively integrated into Google TV, and new search-and-recommendation overlay to the Android TV operating system.

Starting this week, users of Google TV devices, who subscribe to Sling TV and have linked the Sling TV app to their Google account, will see a new “Live” tab emerge on the top-line menu of their home screen, to the right of the “For You” tab.

This Live tab, which was previously only available to YouTube TV subscribers,  will now also let users access their Sling TV programming without going into the app. Under the new configuration, Sling TV programming will also show up in the recommendations surfaced under the “For You” tab.

Notable: Our Sling TV app was already linked to our Google account. Our Chromecast with Google TV device is up to date, and we rebooted it, but the “Live” tab and Sling TV integration never surfaced. A number of tech bloggers have kicked the tires on Sling TV’s announced integration into Google TV already and found it work just fine. 

Perhaps the update hasn't arrived for us yet?

“The integration is rolling out to Google TV devices throughout the next week. As the rollout just launched, it is currently only available on select devices. But you should see the integration on your device within the next several days,” a Sling TV rep told us. 

It’s unclear how widely adopted Google TV is, having debuted last October with the introduction of Google's latest Chromecast device. In terms of third-party tech, Nvidia and Xiaomi have integrated the Google TV overlay into certain Android TV-based streaming players, and Sony and TCL have put into their Android TV-powered smart TV products. 

Google has plans over the next few years go migrate the broader installed base of third-party Android TV gadgets to Google TV. And with Walmart now selling its own line of Android TV connected TV players, that installed base is growing. 

As for Sling TV, its notoriously clunky app is often faulted for undermining the business potential of the Sling platform, which was the first vMVPD to launch back in February 2015. 

Sling TV is now the No. 3 ranked vMVPD behind Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV. Finishing the first quarter with 2.374 million subscribers, its growth has mostly stagnated over the past three years. 

In fact, in a ranking of streaming services published today by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Sling TV placed near the bottom. 

However, a technology refresh is afoot, with Sling TV debuting in bet last month a reimagined app for Amazon Fire TV. 

For Roku, Amazon and other connected TV gadget makers, it’s game Onn. 

Walmart on Thursday quietly debuted two economy-priced, Android TV-powered streaming devices, both carrying the big box chain’s own "Onn" brand.

Priced at $29.98, the Onn “Android TV UHD Device” includes Dolby Audio capabilities, an HDMI cable, and not that many other frills, but it nicely undercuts the Roku Express 4K, a $35 device manufactured by Roku just for Walmart. 

Also making its debut is a $25 Onn-branded, Android TV-powered HD-only streaming stick, that seems to be out of stock right now. 

Both devices include the advantages of the Google Play Store in Android TV, which features every major SVOD and AVOD streaming app. And both devices include Google Assistant voice control through their respective remotes. 

The Onn-branded OTT devices had been spotted earlier, but the news here is that they’re now available.

Just as it was during the DVD era, Walmart is an important retail destination in the now streaming-focused video business. Precisely how influential Walmart is is hard to sketch out. But Roku said in 2019 that 73% of its sales are generated by three retail outlets: Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. 

It’s not yet known if and how the two biggest connected TV gadget makers, Roku and Amazon, will adjust to Walmart entering the streaming gadget game, but we’re already seeing some flux among other tech manufacturers.

Xperi, which now owns TiVo, just started a new retail partnership for its TiVo Stream 4K with Target. Last year, Walmart was supporting the gadget, then priced at $50, with prime “end cap” store floor positioning. But now the TiVo Stream 4K is price-reduced by 40%, to $30, in order to liquidate remaining inventory at Walmart. And it's not featured in Walmart end caps anymore.

Asked about the TiVo Stream 4K’s ongoing fate Thursday, an Xperi rep told us that the device will be back … at Best Buy. 

Google's Android TV operating system remains the equivalent of Microsoft Windows in the OTT gadget game, and Walmart sells myriad lesser-known brands of connected TV players, dongles and sticks that are powered by the software. 

But with Walmart controlling its brick and mortar floor space, not to mention the search authority of its e-commerce operation, it’s tough to predict whether all of these “off” brand devices will find enough oxygen to survive. 

The potential impact on Google is interesting, too.

Google introduced its own streaming device running on an enhanced version of Android TV, called Google TV, last October. The new Onn gadgets would seem to undercut the $50 Chromecast with Google TV. But Google’s real end game is proliferating its OS across as many devices is it can over the next few years in its efforts to catch up to Roku and Amazon.

Having a retailer with 4,743 brick-and-mortar locations in the U.S. alone enticed to push out Android TV devices is certainly good for Google's business.

Continuing to expand beyond the confines of Apple’s own hardware, the Apple TV app is now supported across the expansive Android TV device ecosystem.

The news arrived Tuesday, after Nvidia blogged that the Apple TV app will now run on its full line of Nvidia Shield OTT devices, which use Google’s Android TV OS. 

In December, Google enabled support for Apple TV on its Google TV OS—which is a souped up version of Android TV that is only deployed on Google’s new Chromecast, and a few other devices, at the moment. 

Android TV includes the distribution heft of the Google Play Store, as well as the user convenience of Google Assistant voice. In addition to running on consumer-grade OTT devices like the Nvidia Shield, as well as many smart TVs, Android TV is also deployed by many pay TV operators around the world via its Operator Tier iteration. 

Although, Google says that Apple TV compatibility does not extend to these operator tier set-tops. 

Google is currently investing in the technology, aiming to take global connected TV gateway market share aware from Roku, Amazon and Samsung.

As for Apple, proliferation of Apple TV is essential to the health of the app’s primary tenant, subscription streaming service Apple TV Plus. 

Walmart appears poised to debut a $30, Android TV-powered 4K/HDR streaming device that will undercut incumbents Roku and Amazon.

Last week, a gadget eerily similar to Google’s ADT-3—a device the tech giant hands out to Android TV software developers—briefly surfaced on Walmart.com (where it was spotted by 9to5Google.) The device, which carried Walmart’s Onn brand, was listed as “out of stock,” and it’s no longer listed on Walmart’s landing page. 

But priced at $29.88, the brief appearance of the Onn Android TV UHD Streaming Device was notable, in that it undercut the latest Roku entry-level 4K streaming gadget, a budget-priced iteration of which is specifically packaged for Walmart shelves. 

The just-introduced Roku Express 4K, a Walmart exclusive, ditches the voice remote found in the widely available Roku Express 4K+ and has a discounted MSRP of $35.99. That’s $5 cheaper than the $39.99 Express 4K+, but $5 more than the new Onn-branded 4K/HDR gadget. 

Walmart, which has broad-reaching competitive issues with Amazon, sells Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K for $57.60.

Google’s 4K/HDR-capable Chromecast with Google TV is available via Walmart for $50. 

Two months ago, it surfaced via FCC documents that Walmart is also looking to undercut the major connected TV device incumbents for sub-$20 HD-only streaming sticks and dongles, with the pending introduction of an Onn-branded HDMI stick, also based on Google’s Android TV OS.

Last year, Walmart committed end caps and other valuable in-store promotional resources to another Android TV-powered streaming gadget, the TiVo Stream 4K. But last week, TiVo’s parent company, Xperi, said it was shifting its streaming tech strategy, pivoting away from Android TV gadgets and into smart TV OS, following Google’s decision to get into the OTT device business itself with the new Google TV OS. 

And late last year, Walmart began selling another 4K device based on Google’s ADT-3, this one under the brand name Dynalink. Initially, Walmart promotionally priced the 4K/HDR-capable OTT device, which is based on Android 10, with a quad-core processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory and a single HDMI port, at $29.95, $20 off the regular MSRP of $49.95. Walmart is currently selling the Dynalink Android TV Box at that regular $50 list price. 

Walmart was a major force amid the height of the DVD and Blu-ray business during aughts. In fact, it was the top mover of discs and disc players in the U.S at that time. 

It makes sense that it will want to establish itself in the streaming gadget business, and not just because its archival, Amazon, already has. 

Chest-thumping its rank as a supplier of Android TV set-tops to the global pay TV market, Technicolor said it has now deployed 10 million devices based on Google’s operating system.

“As the number one provider of Android TV STBs in the world, Technicolor Connected Home has worked successfully to meet network service provider (NSP) deployment requirements across the globe over the past year. We have met these demands despite the production and supply chain challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mounir Toutah, video product director for Technicolor Connected Home, in a statement.

Technicolor also touted data from Industry Research predicting that the Android TV set-top market will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.8% from 2021-2026. 

Most of Technicolor’s Android TV clients are in Europe, where the OS has been popular among operators for several years. But the company also distributes its boxes to Dish Network, WideOpenWest and Canada’s Cogeco, among seven North American clients. 

“Subscribers appreciate the convenience of streamlining access to video services through NSP provided set-top boxes in the home as well as the added benefit of not incurring additional costs for retail equipment. Android TV has played an important role in improving the overall user experience and level of customer satisfaction, thus reducing churn, while elevating the reach of OTT content providers,” Toutah added.  

Amino Technologies, a key UK-based technology shop backing the proliferation of Android TV operator tier set-top solutions across Europe, says its North American presence is “accelerating.” 

The vendor, based in Cambridge, now touts a list of 14 North American pay TV operators for its tech, which includes AminoOS middleware, the Amigo 7X Ultra-HD set-top, and the Amino Engage SaaS management solution. The company says its client list includes AW Broadband, Conway Corp., Hay Communications and Home Telecom, which each agreed to shill for Amino in a press release last week intended to boost the company’s fortunes across the pond.

"A crucial element of our transition from legacy video to IPTV is to make sure that existing subscribers who may have little or no experience with streaming services are still able to adopt our new platform successfully," said Jason Hansen, chief technology officer for Conway, Arkansas-based Conway, which uses Amino tech in its ConwayCorpTV service. "The Amigo 7X gives us that capability by providing a refreshed Conway Corp. branded UI, traditional grid guide and standard remote all while still providing an alluring product for those cable-never audiences. “

"Launching Android TV services has opened up a new level of possibility for some of our more traditional customers," added Caoimhe Zett, customer marketing supervisor for Charleston, N.C.-headquartered Home Telecom, which uses Amino in its HomeStream TV offering. "Amino has supported us throughout the entire life cycle, from building mission-critical Android TV capabilities to going through the certification process and becoming market-ready in record time.”

Globally, Amino touts 250 million customers across 65 countries. The company says its technology powers 10 million devices. 

Amino also references T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell and Consolidated Communications in the “customers” page of its website. 

“Consumers are looking for easy access to content, wherever it is, and intuitive UIs that are simple to navigate," says Donald McGarva, Amino Group CEO. "At the same time, operators want a flexible, cost-effective route to modernizing their services with OTT content, while managing the consumer experience. We're pleased that Amino has been enabling North American operators to stay at the cutting-edge of the TV revolution through launching Android TV Operator Tier services and we look forward to driving this transformation forward with more new customers throughout 2021."

Consumers looking to cut the cord for under 20 bucks will have yet another cheap hardware option, according to recently unearthed FCC documents. 

Walmart is readying an HD-only streaming stick that will be sold under its Onn brand and powered by Android TV, the documents reveal. 

The “2K” resolution indicated by the filing suggests the device will be inexpensive, given that 4K connected TV devices typically sell for $25 or more. 

Walmart has been a key destination for video technology, dating back to the profitable DVD market in the early aughts. More recently, TiVo negotiated coveted “endcap” space on Walmart store floors to launch its Android TV-powered Stream 4K device. 

And in November, it was revealed that Google had entered into an OEM relationship with a company called Dynalink to sell OTT players at Walmart based on the ADT-3, a 4K/HDR-capable OTT device based on Android 10, with a quad-core processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory and a single HDMI port. Google provides this device to Android TV developers to help them come up with apps.  

Walmart has also been reportedly talking to Comcast about making the cable operator’s Xfinity Flex platform the OS engine that powers inexpensive, Onn-branded smart TVs. Those discussions were first reported in early November and have been breathlessly parroted in publications like this one ever since. Comcast has spoken numerous times about expanding the horizons for Flex, which currently has 3 million users within the Comcast footprint. But those Walmart talks haven’t come up specifically. 

The Apple TV Plus subscription streaming service is now supported by the new Google TV operating system.

Subscribers to Apple’s $4.99-a-month SVOD offering can now watch it on Chromecast with Google TV, as well as Sony and TCL smart TVs powered by the new Google TV OS.

“We plan to roll out to more Android TV-powered devices in the coming months,” said Jonathan Zepp, director of media and entertainment for Google’s Android and Google Play products.

Apple TV Plus original series including Ted Lasso now surface in the platform’s curated  recommendations. Users can also open the Apple TV Plus app and search for programming the service via Google Assistant voice commands. And they can store Apple TV Plus shows for later viewing on the platform’s watchlist. 

Also read: Android TV Still a Non-factor in Connected TV, Report Shows

After a slow start, Apple TV Plus seems to have found momentum with its limited number of original series and movies. UK-based research company recently pegged the SVOD service’s customer count at around 43 million, although many of those customers are getting the service free as part of a promotion for purchasers of Apple hardware.

Extending the reach of the service to Google’s OTT device ecosystem, however, might provide only marginal benefit. A recent Conviva report on which OTT devices were most used to stream the Super Bowl showed that only around 5% were using an Android TV or Chromecast box.

Google is aiming to rebrand and evolve Android TV into Google TV, which has more advanced search and recommendation features. The company has already started to merge the appearance of the two operating systems through its Android TV upgrades. 

Google has released an update for Android TV devices around the world that brings their user interfaces more into line with the Google TV operating system that the company is building its long-term video strategy around.

Starting in early February, smart TVs, OTT players and dongles and other Android TV devices have a new UI. The update changes the home screen to look more like that found on the new Chromecast with Google TV device. 

On their home screens, updated Android TV devices now have three main menu items on top of their home screens: “Home,” which features the content and apps a user deploys most often; “Discovery,” which very similar to the “For You” tab on Google TV, surfacing user recommendations; and “Apps,” which includes whatever applications the user has downloaded to their device.

The update now features a scrolling carousel of snapshots from featured content on top of the screen, behind the three main menu items. 

Google said that this is not an OS update. Google TV, which overlays search and discovery features on top of Android TV, is generally designed to run on Android 10 and above platforms. This latest UI update can run on lower iterations of Android TV. 

Ultimately, Google’s expressed strategy is to slowly migrate the global base of Android TV devices to Google TV, including the brand name, and make a major push for market share in the global OTT device ecosystem, now largely controlled by Roku and Amazon. 

The update started rolling out Wednesday in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany and France. It will expand to more countries in the coming weeks, Google said.

Forty-one percent of the attempted streaming connections for Sunday’s 55th Super Bowl occurred on the Roku platform, according to research published by Conviva.

In terms of how many consumers used what connected TV platform to stream the big game, market share broke down kind of as you’d expect (see chart below)—Amazon Fire TV ranked No. 2, with 24% of streaming starts, followed by Apple TV (12%), Samsung TV Plus (8%), Xbox (4%) and PlayStation (4%).

What surprised us was what a non-factor Android TV/Google TV remain, despite the rapt attention we’ve paid to the evolution of the platform in recent months. Android TV commanded just 4% of Super Bowl streaming starts, according to Conviva, while Google’s legacy Chromecast platform owned just 1%. 

With Roku and Amazon mired in distribution disputes that kept Peacock and HBO Max off their device platforms for most of 2020, LightShed Partners analyst Richard Greenfield predicted in July that Google would soon end its long drought of connected TV success. 

“We believe Google’s lack of success in the TV ecosystem is set to change radically in the next 6-12 months, led by an updated Android TV UI and a reimagined Chromecast,” Greenfield wrote.

Google debuted its overhauled and rebranded version of Android TV, which it calls Google TV, along with the new Chromecast with Google TV device, back at the beginning of October. 

So far, based on this small bit of Conviva research, it doesn’t look like Google has been able to make a sizable dent in U.S. connected TV market share.

Google has released an update for Android TV devices around the world that puts their user interfaces more in line with the Google TV operating system that the company is building its longterm video strategy around.

Starting earlier this week, smart TVs, OTT players and dongles, and other Android TV devices will have a new UI. The update changes the home screen to look more like that found on the new Chromecast with Google TV device. 

Also read: Google TV Chief Shalini Govil-Pai: Pandemic Caused Delay for Some Features

On their home screens, updated Android TV devices now have three main menu items at the top: “Home,” which features the content and apps a user deploys most often; “Discovery,” which is similar to the “For You” tab on Google TV, surfacing user recommendations; and “Apps,” which includes whatever applications the user has downloaded to their device.

The update now features a scrolling carousel of screenshots from featured content on top of the screen, behind the three main menu items. 

Below, we’ve include screenshots of both the pre- and post-update iterations of the Android TV home screens.

Also read: The Chromecast with Google TV Reviews Are In: Roku and Amazon Have a Problem

Google makes clear that this is not an OS update. Google TV, which overlays search and discovery features on top of Android TV, is generally designed to run on Android 10 and above platforms. This latest UI update can run on lower iterations of Android TV. 

Ultimately, Google’s expressed strategy is to slowly migrate the global base of Android TV devices to Google TV, including the brand name, and make a major push for marketshare in the global OTT device ecosystem, now largely controlled by Roku and Amazon. 

The update started rolling out Wednesday in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany and France. It will expand to more countries in the coming weeks, Google said. 

Chinese consumer electronics company TCL said that it will soon ship smart TVs based on Google TV, Alphabet’s new iteration of the Android TV OS.

The TVs will arrive in the U.S. and other parts of the world later this year, said TCL in an announcement tied to this year’s virtualized CES conference. 

“The introduction of TCL Google TVs will take our partnership with Google to the next level,” said Kevin Wang, CEO of TCL Industrial Holdings and TCL Electronics, in a statement. “Our theme at CES this year is ‘Experience More,’ and by combining cutting-edge displays with smart and convenient content powered by Google, I am confident we will allow people around the world to do just that in 2021.”

Also Read: WiFi Gets Its Biggest Upgrade in Decades | Netgear Debuts Pricey WiFi 6E Router

TCL is the second-biggest supplier of smart TVs in the U.S., controlling around 14% of domestic market share, and surpassed only by Samsung. Most TCL televisions sold domestically have been powered by Roku. But the company began shipping a limited number of sets based on Google’s Android TV last year. 

Alphabet’s Google recently upgraded Android TV to include a top-level search-and-recommendation layer called “Google TV.” Over time, Google TV will replace Android TV as the brand name of the entire OS. 

Sony also said that it will ship Google TV-based smart TVs this year. 

"We are excited to partner with TCL to bring Google TV to customers around the world. Google TV is a more helpful and delightful TV experience that helps users find the content they love," added Shobana Radhakrishnan, senior engineering director of Google TV, in a statement.

Chinese consumer electronics company TCL announced Monday that it will soon ship smart TVs based on Google TV, Alphabet’s new iteration of the Android TV OS.

The TVs will arrive in the U.S. and other parts of the world later this year, said TCL in an announcement tied to this year’s virtualized CES conference. 

"The introduction of TCL Google TVs will take our partnership with Google to the next level," said Kevin Wang, CEO of TCL Industrial Holdings and TCL Electronics, in a statement. "Our theme at CES this year is 'Experience More' and by combining cutting-edge displays with smart and convenient content powered by Google, I am confident we will allow people around the world to do just that in 2021.”

Also read: TCL Quietly Expands Android TV Selection

TCL is the second biggest supplier of smart TVs in the U.S., controlling around 14% of domestic marketshare, and surpassed only by Samsung. Most TCL televisions sold domestically have been powered by Roku. But the company began shipping a limited number of sets based on Google’s Android TV last year. 

Also read: Roku Touts North American Smart TV Supremacy Over Samsung

Alphabet’s Google recently upgraded Android TV to include a top-level search-and-recommendation layer called “Google TV.” Over time, Google TV will replace Android TV as the brand name of the entire OS. 

Sony also announced last week that it will ships Google TV-based smart TVs this year. 

"We are excited to partner with TCL to bring Google TV to customers around the world. Google TV is a more helpful and delightful TV experience that helps users find the content they love," added Shobana Radhakrishnan, senior engineering director of Google TV, in a statement.

Google announced that its new connected TV device dongle, Chromecast with Google TV, will start supporting the Apple TV app starting “early next year.”

Google also said that Apple TV support would expand to the Android TV platform devices “in the future.” It’s unclear as to whether Apple TV compatibility will eventually extend to Android-powered mobile devices. 

Notably, Apple TV app content will be integrated into Google TV, the UX with personalization features that sits atop Android TV, surfacing algorithmically selected shows and movies from the services the viewer uses. 

“With Google TV, you’ll be able to see Apple originals in your personalized recommendations and search results, making it even easier to find your favorite shows and movies. And, you’ll be able to save them to your watchlist to catch up on later,” said Jonathan Zepp, head of media and entertainment for Android and Google Play, in a statement. 

The Apple TV app houses Apple’s 13-month-old subscription streaming service, Apple TV Plus, as well as Apple TV Channels, the subscription re-selling service that disaggregates services like CBS All Access and Showtime. The app also provides access to sales and rentals of movies and shows through the iTunes store. 

The fact that Google would integrate the latter service, which has transactional components that directly compete with the Google Play Store, speaks to the “thaw” that’s occurred of late between the two FAANG companies. 

But it might speak more to Google’s newfound will to compete for the global connected TV device market, currently controlled by Roku and Amazon. 

As these incumbents increasingly find their neutrality challenged by interest in ad sales and “channels” disaggregation of third-party apps, they’re increasingly involved in “carriage disputes” with streaming service providers. The HBO Max app is notably still unavailable on Roku, for example, and Amazon Fire TV still doesn’t support NBCUniversal’s Peacock. 

Roku, meanwhile, just disabled the ability of its users to download cable operator Charter Communications' Spectrum TV app.

Also read: Google TV Can Now Aggregate From Over 25 Third-Party Apps

Google, however, seems intent on keeping friction low for Android TV, which supports every major streaming app at this point. 

And it's going beyond mere support with Google TV. Google, for example, has already announced 25 direct integrations of third-party streaming apps into Google TV, the latest being Peacock. 

This allows Chromecast with Google TV users to see one interface that includes content from every service they use when they fire up their TV. 

Technicolor, one of the biggest sellers of Android TV-based set-tops to the pay TV market, has licensed a software solution from RealVNC to help its operator clients remotely service customer premises equipment (CPE) powered by the Google video OS.

Connect TV enables operator customer service reps and installation techs to remotely view and control Android TV CPE, a useful tool for cable companies who are trying to enable work-from-home environments amid the pandemic. Technicolor said its Connected Home division has shipped more Android TV set-top boxes than any other CPE manufacturer in the global “network service provider” market. 

“The ability to have a complete picture of what customers are seeing, along with real-time access to diagnostic data about customer premises equipment (CPE) deployed by NSPs into subscribers’ homes streamlines the troubleshooting process,” said Girish Naganathan, CTO for Technicolor Connected Home, in a statement.  

“It is far superior to the often frustrating process of having customer service representatives speak to customers on the telephone to resolve issues that are difficult to describe,” Naganathan added. “This will be important for NSPs that are deploying new feature-rich Android TV CPE, with its advanced UI and multiple applications. CSRs will be in a much better position to educate customers and resolve technical issues with Connect TV. It will reduce truck rolls and device returns while improving customer satisfaction.”

According to a Technicolor press rep, the partnership with RealVNC isn’t just an ordinary collaboration between two companies trading money for goods and services. It’s “strategic.”

Since launching its new aggregation overlay for Android TV, dubbed Google TV, along with its new Chromecast device in October, Google has made some progress in terms of expanding the reach of the platform.

The name Google TV seems to serve two purposes. It will replace the “Android TV” brand over time. But for now, Google TV refers to the new content aggregation interface that sits on top of Android TV. 

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Beyond being able to surface and recommend content from Google-owned apps such as YouTube, YouTube TV and Google Play Movies, Google TV now has native integration with more than 25 third-party apps, including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Peacock and Pluto TV. (Notably, that list does not include Netflix.)

Like a number of other large video technology companies, Google is seeking to create a one-stop app that searches for and surfaces content based on user profile data. And the more apps that it can reach into, the more intuitive Google TV can be.

Even close observers could be forgiven some brand confusion discerning the differences between Alphabet Inc.’s Google TV and the older, closely related Android TV. But make no mistake; the combination on a global scale represents Google’s most coherent effort yet to connect the streaming-video industry’s hardware, software and content sides in a way that consumers find compelling and useful. 

Making that initiative work on a global scale is Govil-Pai’s job.

The best way to understand Govil-Pai’s streaming empire: Android TV is an operating system for streaming devices. Google TV is a viewer-friendly interface that sits “atop” Android TV. Google TV ties together technologies including search, machine learning, mobile, smart home and smart assistants, while making it easier for viewers to unearth interesting programs across SVOD, AVOD, live TV and other sources. 

“Many of us are realizing that while there is a lot of great content, it’s really hard to find something to watch,” Govil-Pai said in an email interview. “That is where Google [TV] comes in, providing an interface which helps you find content in a seamless search and discovery experience.”

Google TV launched this summer alongside a $50 dongle and remote control called Chromecast with Google TV. Coming soon: Google TV in Android TV-powered connected TVs, third-party streaming devices and more. It’s a potentially potent combination.

With Android TV gaining momentum with both pay-TV operators and consumers, Alphabet hopes Google TV will take it over the top in the global connected-TV arms race with Amazon and Roku. 

That’s the challenge facing Govil-Pai, a Bollywood-born former child actress who made a savvy career pivot, picking up two computer science degrees from the Indian Institutes of Technology before becoming technical director on early Pixar animated films such as “Toy Story.”

Even as pandemic viewership has shot up across the streaming industry, Govil-Pai’s unit has “continued to stay focused on providing an experience that meets users’ needs … helping them find something to watch” with a “platform with features such as watchlist and screensaver mode that help entertain and delight our users at a time when it’s needed more than ever.”