Google has further solidified itself in the connected TV space, unveiling at CES 2023 there are now over 150 million monthly active devices running on Google TV and Android TV, which includes Google’s built-in streaming device Chromecast.
That figure is a step-up from the 110 million active devices Google reported for Android TV in January 2022, though it’s unclear how much of that total is represented by Google TV. The company told 9to5Google last year its TVOS growth was bolstered by partnerships with smart TV OEMs as well as pay TV operators.
Chromecast, which allows users to stream from their mobile devices to a smart TV, is one of the most popular features on Android, Google noted. To date, over 3,000 audio and video apps are Chromecast-supported.
Google’s ubiquity has allowed it to carve out a name for itself in the connected TV sphere, as the tech giant boasts the fastest growing operating system worldwide, media industry expert Evan Shapiro pointed out last year. He noted Google has made its mark by paying OEMs small sums to implement its OS on smart TVs.
The Android TV OS has been around since 2014, but Google in 2020 released a revamped Google TV platform for Chromecast, and it has since expanded to smart TVs and mobile devices. Although Google TV runs on Android’s TVOS, Google classifies its Android TV devices as smart TVs that don’t have the Google TV interface.
Alongside its update on Google and Android TV usage, Google announced plans to launch new Google TV devices later this year, manufactured by OEMs like Hisense and TCL. TCL specifically has boasted it sells more than 10 million TV sets worldwide with either Android TV or Google TV annually.
This week saw notable movement in the TVOS space, as Roku officially tossed its hat into the ring with its first branded smart TVs, set to launch in spring 2023. Whereas Comcast and Charter unveiled initial plans of the smart TVs they plan to sell for their streaming joint venture – Xumo.