Google’s start on Smart TVs was not brilliant by any means. One of his first approaches to this sector was Google TV, operating system that he developed in conjunction with Intel, Sony and Logitechand that we should not confuse with the current Google TV, which is Google’s own personalization layer based on Android TV.
This platform was launched in 2010, a time when many manufacturers joined the bandwagon of Smart TVs. Google did not want to miss the opportunity to grow in this sector, and Google TV, despite being considered a failed attempt, helped the firm to transform the knowledge it acquired into what we know today as Android TV.
Conquering the living room was never easy for Google
Google sought to conquer the living room of all homes, just as it already did on mobile devices. The television is a meeting point for many families, and the lack of standardization made the company see great business in this sector. It is because of that the firm launched in 2010 Google TV, a kind of operating system that combined various contents and its Chrome browser, all collected in an interface so that the user had a whole multimedia library at hand. Sounds like something to you, right?
During its launch, it signed agreements with companies such as Netflix, CNBC, CNN or TNT to offer content to the user. In addition, with the help of its integrated browser, a whole world of possibilities opened up with YouTube and the like. The company also wanted to add social networks like Twitter to its Google TV, thus laying the foundations of a multimedia center connected to televisions.
The agreements it signed with the main manufacturers in the sector made Google TV appear on different models of Sony and LG televisions. In addition, it was also integrated into Logitech’s set top box, Revue, being one of the first approaches towards the expansion of connected functionalities in televisions. Intel contributed its grain of sand with its Atom chips, both for televisions and TV Boxes.
Fall and rebirth of an ecosystem that still had a lot to contribute
However, even if the platform had all the necessary ingredients to be successful, there was a small detail that hindered its growth: the absence of support from the main television networks and television manufacturers. And it is that many of the cable content providers refused to participate in Google’s proposal because they depend on a web browser-based experience. In addition, around the time, each manufacturer began to launch television models with their own Smart TV platform, much tougher competition.
After several years in operation, the company gave up on Google TV in 2014. The reason was the tremendous success of Chromecast a year earlier, hinting to the company that this was the way to go. However, Google knew that this market was still growing at an exponential rate, and they didn’t want to limit themselves to just making these little HDMI dongles. That is why he decided to combine the experience gained with Google TV and Chromecast to try once more. The result is what we know today as Android TV.