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In this insight we take a look at the complicated world of TV Operating Systems (TVOS) and highlight the need for greater and deeper engagement with the content world.
With regular developments in the OS market its hard to keep up with the shape of the market. From new OS launches like Vega (Amazon), Ventura (Trade Desk) and Jio Tele (Reliance) to major strategic moves such as Wallmart’s acquisition of Vizio and swapping out of OS systems on their own brand TVs. Independent OS providers like TiVo, Whale and Titan announce new Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partnerships frequently, and on a content level we are seeing more partnerships and relationships in the FAST and Content App space.
For good reason TV Operating Systems (TVOS) are getting more attention. The content world we operate in is hugely impacted by them, influencing discovery, recommendations, prominence and data insights. But it is the content that drives the OS experience and as the importance of the OS grows so does the need to engage with content owners in different ways. After years of more passive engagement the OS providers are now starting to take a more active role with content.
Some content businesses are more involved and are engaging well with a good level of mutual understanding (especially FAST). However this engagement is largely restrained (with any bolder moves fairly isolated actions) and more hardware manufacturers and TV OS operators will need to shift mindsets and cultures more to fully engage with the content world.
We certainly expect to see more activity, more direct content activity as well as deeper interaction with 3rd party services and more innovation. SVOD bundling is one of the key future battlegrounds and activity here has been limited and local challenges will play a part as they always do when multi-market players look to grow content activity. More strategic thinking will be needed as the pressure is on to improve the user journey and to do this engagement with content and content services is fundamentally key. Meanwhile content stakeholders will need to make sense of the complicated and ever changing OS/Hardware landscape - as the different operating systems continue to exist across multiple hardwares and some hardwares offering multiple operating systems.
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