By Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo
The Smart TV opportunity
The Smart TV concept is compelling: built-in connectivity in the television enables direct access to apps and content from multiple providers without requiring an external device. Coupled with an integrated tuner, Smart TV platforms can interact with live broadcasts in ways over-the-top (OTT) devices cannot, creating unique experiences for viewers.
Major television manufacturers have introduced Smart TVs over the past few years, and adoption has been strong. However, Accedo believes consumers and app developers should expect more from Smart TV app platforms. The idea is sound, but execution often falls short. Below I outline key areas where Smart TV platforms can and should improve.
User experience is too manufacturer-centric
When consumers see Smart TV home screens for the first time, confusion is a common reaction. Home screens are frequently overcrowded with features and promotional elements. Each manufacturer tends to push its own functionality up front, creating a cluttered first impression. Whether driven by internal priorities or a misunderstanding of consumer needs, this clutter is a major reason Smart TV apps are used less than they could be.
Worryingly, many manufacturers keep adding more features to the platform home screen. A better approach would be to give app developers greater control over home screen real estate or to let consumers customize the home screen to suit their preferences. Allowing partners or users to tailor the main experience will reduce confusion and improve engagement.
Application discovery
Application discoverability is another significant problem. While some apps come preinstalled or are featured on the home screen, most must be found in the platform’s app section. That section typically uses a grid of icons divided into 5–8 broad categories such as Games, Video, Lifestyle and Sports. This layout works tolerably well up to around 100 apps, but once app catalogs grow larger, navigation becomes slow and frustrating.
TV users have limited patience for clicking through interfaces, so discoverability and recommendation systems are essential for helping consumers find and try new apps. Poor discovery discourages publishers from supporting Smart TV platforms, concentrating viewership on preinstalled apps and undermining the platform’s ability to serve the long tail of content owners.
The solution is straightforward: Smart TV platforms should enable cross-linking between apps. This would allow recommendation apps to emerge, support cross-application promotion, and let publishers form alliances that drive meaningful traffic between complementary, non-competing apps. Over time, consumers will learn natural discovery paths beyond browsing a growing app grid.
Flexible monetization policies
Manufacturers initially expected app publishers to join Smart TV platforms primarily to reach new audiences, accepting exposure as sufficient value. The market has evolved: Smart TV is now a meaningful commercial channel for app publishers, and they need viable monetization models to justify development costs.
We are concerned when platforms attempt to impose rigid or exclusive monetization schemes. Publishers need optionality. Crucially, they must be able to reuse development work across multiple Smart TV platforms. Requiring integration with multiple, disparate advertising or payment systems increases development overhead, undermines cross-platform efficiency, and reduces the attractiveness of Smart TV as a distribution channel.
Smart TV platforms should adopt flexible, publisher-friendly monetization policies that support reuse of integrations and allow publishers to control how they generate revenue from their users.
Improved personalization options
While most Smart TV platforms offer basic personalization, consumers increasingly expect much deeper personalization that adapts to their preferences over time. Better personalization drives long-term loyalty and more frequent use.
At setup, Smart TVs should present personalization choices that shape preinstalled apps and recommended content. As the platform learns from viewing patterns, recommendations and preloaded suggestions should evolve to reflect the user’s tastes and new app availability.
Manufacturers should measure and incentivize metrics that reflect ongoing engagement—such as average apps downloaded per device, repeat visits across many apps, and frequency of app launches—instead of focusing narrowly on initial device connections or the top three apps. Shifting organizational incentives from one-time device sales to sustained platform engagement will foster innovation and build lasting consumer loyalty.
Partnerships for improved consumer experience
Smart TV experiences must improve, and not every company can do this alone. Where internal development falls short, manufacturers should seek partners to enhance their platform capabilities.
Accedo sees three viable partnership models. First, collaboration with another Smart TV vendor to jointly develop better app store functionality can deliver improved experience for consumers and a more attractive ecosystem for publishers. Second, partnering with a specialist company focused on consumer experience and app store technology—independent from the TV product group—can accelerate improvements while preserving brand identity. Third, teaming up with a local TV operator can enable localized content offerings, better app curation and stronger marketing opportunities in specific markets.
All partnerships require manufacturers to cede some control over parts of the user experience, but many manufacturers will need to accept that trade-off to deliver the improved consumer experience the market now requires.
Smart TV platforms are at an important juncture. By prioritizing clearer, user-focused home screens, better discovery and cross-linking, flexible monetization, richer personalization, and thoughtful partnerships, manufacturers can unlock the full potential of Smart TV for consumers and app publishers alike.