Your laptops and mobile phones aren't enough. Big Tech wants to consume your attention on on the TV screen too! Here's what went down last week in the world of digital television:
Meta leaders said they are planning to develop a version of the Instagram app designed for TVs that could show content like its Reels short-form videos. The company is seeking to attract older viewers and capture the higher advertising rates that come with connected TVs.
Can Meta actually pull that off though? iPad users have been waiting for a dedicated Instagram app for 15 years! At this rate, we'll have an Instagram TV app by 2040.
TikTok is also eyeing your television, with staffers internally discussing how to attract higher-quality (and potentially landscape) videos that look better on TV screens than the vertical videos that are designed for the TikTok mobile app. TikTok originally launched a TV app in November 2021, but recently discontinued it in mid-June, likely to be replaced by its upcoming new version.
To launch apps on connected TVs, the two companies would have to strike deals with makers of streaming TV operating systems like Roku, Amazon, and Samsung, which sometime include those platforms getting a cut of subscription of ad revenue generated by the app. Even then, there's no guarantee that the apps would get prominent placement on the TV menu, which has historically been reserved for paid streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Google, in the meantime, which operates its own TV operating system that is available on Sony, Hisense, and TCL devices, as well as on Google's USB device that plugs into other televisions, reduced the budget (which is rumored to be around $500M) for Google TV and Android TV by 10%. However the company said that it is continuing to invest in its Google TV division with new user experiences including an upcoming integration of Gemini, so the reduction might just be part of Google's regular cuts.
Last but not least, Amazon is pushing to own your TV experience by becoming a hub for all your streaming subscriptions. The company has built a big business by letting viewers easily subscribe to other streaming services like HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Hallmark+ from within the Amazon Prime app or web dashboard, while taking a cut of the subscription rumored to be over 50%. However Amazon is still chasing holdouts like Peacock and Disney.
Remember paying for cable TV back in the day and still receiving commercials? Streaming television is about to get even worse…