Quick history
Google started playing around with big screens in 2010, with Google TV OS (not to confuse with the latest Google TV), but with little to no success and virtually no adoption.
But, with the rise of Android as the most popular OS, and OTT services becoming a trend (probably noticing a demand that made tablet based STBs appear from China), Google decided to expand its Android 5.0 OS native support to big screens, through its Leanback library.
Initially seen in the Nexus Player and nVidia Shield, it only really achieved mass adoption when Xiaomi released their MiBox, powered by Android TV. Nowadays, we can see all makes and models of TV sticks, STBs and Smart TVs, powered by Android TV or its latest iteration – Google TV.
Android TV became so popular that many Pay TV Operators started using it for their latest STB generations.
The evolution of Android TV towards super aggregation
With Android TV versions 5/6/7 there wasn’t much aggregation to be seen, but apps could make use of a dedicated row to promote their content. We could say it was still a “source” or “app’s first” UI.
In 2016, Google presented the Live Channels app as the reference for Linear TV. Apps with linear content or “channels” could focus on just providing the content through the TV Input Framework, and users could use a “TV Player” app like Live Channels to watch said programs.
Great examples of apps which capitalize on this are Zattoo, RedBull TV and Pluto TV. Still, a lot of Android TV OEMs failed to understand that they could use the same Live Channels app for their HDMI inputs, as well as DVB tuner FTA channels use cases. So, there was no mass adoption or awareness (at a user level) that these “TV Player” apps even existed.
![Android TV launcher]](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/q_glossy,ret_img,w_1470,h_1000/https://wetek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/img3b_.png)
It was only with Android 8/9/10 that Google began to make aggregation count for Android TV. This was made possible with a new launcher app:
- Apps could push rails with personalized content to the launcher
- Rails included video preview support
- Apps could push multiple rails
- Users could select which rails to show on the launcher and their respective order
- Google added a Play Next rail, common to all apps, containing:
- Next episode on a series
- Movies the user hasn’t finished watching
- Unified search, which aggregates search results from Google Search and the apps themselves
- Google Assistant integration for search, discovery and control use cases
This UI upgrade was very helpful to users, because now they don’t need to browse inside each app catalog in order to look for content, and decide what to watch next. Instead, he sees a curated launcher screen, with all relevant content from the apps installed in the device.
For Google this could also open powerful insights:
- Which app rails the user uses the most
- Which contents apps are presented to the user
- Which contents the user is actually watching (contents users select on the app rails and show up with a watch progress on Play Next)
![Android TV home]](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/q_glossy,ret_img,w_1470,h_1000/https://wetek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/img5d.png)
Also, in time, the launcher AKA Android TV Home, became available on the PlayStore, so it could update independently of the device system image. It brought new features:
- Cinematic highlights (basically content ads managed and monetized by Google)
- Introduction of a top menu, with a special highlight to a Discover tab
- A look and feel closer to Google TV’s (which we will talk about below) new Android 10/11/12 UI/UX.
- Better Google Assistant integration
The Live Channels app ceased having support in November 2020, but we’ll explore the possible reason for this next.
Google TV delivers the ultimate aggregation experience
In late 2020, Google launched the Chromecast with Google TV, which started replacing Android TV on Smart TV brands, like Sony and TCL.
Besides having the latest version of Android under the hood, with an overall updated UI, Google TV brings aggregation to a new level – SUPER AGGREGATION – and we explain how:
- Massive content offer: Google TV users have pretty much all streaming services available. Check this article to see the list of services covered (and gowing by the day).
- Content source becomes irrelevant: rails can show content available on any TV/streaming service, and they are curated by Google based on your overall watch profile. Still, you can choose from which services Google should recommend content (besides all coming directly from the installed apps). This is very relevant for what comes next.
The detail screen: where in the past, users would jump from the launcher to the app with the respective content, on Google TV, they now land on a generic details page, also curated by Google. Google has integrated movies and shows information from providers and services into Google Search, so a lot of metadata is available. This curated page has all available services, which are providing this content the ability to add them to your watchlist and mark as seen, and even a way of liking or disliking it. These work together to populate the launcher rails with relevant content for the user. And, of course, you have the metadata enrichment, which is so common these days, with information on cast & crew, trivia, images and trailers.
If a content is available on more than one app/service, the detail screen shows a “default” watch option, a secondary button which aggregates all other options in order for the user to choose.
Profile and watchlist: Google allows users to add as many accounts to the device as they want, and they work as profiles the user can switch between. Each profile will have its own watchlist and set of recommendations from the curated rails. Unlike the apps with content services, which are limited to their own content and profiling, Google can track what users watch across all services, and therefore provide recommendations, as well as curated content across all services. This is of great value to the user, who can now do the entire content search and discovery user journey without even leaving the Google TV app, just by entering the actual app at the playback stage.
And, of course, there are the Kid profiles, which are available with a simplified UI and walled garden user experience. Now, there is one thing on which Google could have improved, and that was by making the profiles available under a family profile (leveraging FamilyLink), this way allowing for multiple profile selection, as most of the time several household members are in front of the TV watching the same content.
Seamless assistant integration: With Google TV, Google Assistant seems more like a part of the experience than a complementary device feature. The way search results are displayed, and the transitions between Google Assistant and Google TV Home, making users think they never left a single app.
Linear TV aggregation 2.0: Above we mentioned that Google stopped supporting the Live Channels app, and that’s because Google TV has its own live section. Initially, only Youtube TV live channels were available, but now, and depending on the region you can also see live channels from Sling and Philo. But Google isn’t stopping there, as it is reported that free TV channels will also be available soon, and who better to capitalize on free channels with targeted ads then Google?
All of the above make Google TV a very interesting one stop shop to any user.
Why is super aggregation important for Google (and for you)?
With Google TV, the company sees the opportunity to deliver something of value, such as relevant content in an easy and curated way, in exchange for profiled information, such as user watch habits and discovery journey. Likewise, there’s an opportunity to monetize on aggregation, with ads running on highlighted content and on linear TV, not to mention gathering more insights on Google accounts.
What does this mean for streaming services and content providers in general?
Streaming services are already aware of the importance of having an app presence on the Play Store, allowing Android TV, and Google TV, users the access to their content. But that is not enough, and these services should do the following in order to be visible on this aggregation trend:
- Integrate authentication systems with Google accounts, so users can login directly with their Google account on the device.
- Integrate with native libraries from Google, so they can have their contents available on:
- Live channels app and Google TV Live section
- Android TV Home and Google Home rails
- Google assistant search results
- Google TV Way to watch list
- Google TV user watchlist and library
- Integrate the GPay API to facilitate subscription payments
- Seek to promote their content on Google TV Home and Android TV Home highlights
What does this means for Pay TV Operators?
Similar to streaming services, Pay TV Operators, with their apps available for Android TV devices, should consider integrating them in similar fashion with Android TV and Google TV native features.
If you are a Pay TV looking into a next generation STB, and are considering Android TV, we actually have a new article coming up just for that use case, because Google has even more to offer in the form of Operator Tier.
How can WeTek help you?
If you are a streaming service or a Pay TV operator wanting to ride this wave, contact us to see how our Android TV solutions and products can take you to the SUPER AGGREGATION level.
