The TV OS war: How operating systems became streaming's final gatekeepers

Control over the OS interface represent the ultimate industry power move because it dictatess content discoverability in an era of 'Feudal Media.' As consumers increasingly rely on home screen recommendations rather than manual app searches, the OS owner acts as a toll collector for both eyeballs and data. The immediate implication is a shift in balance from content creators to the software layer that organizes them. Industry strategists should monitor Walmart’s integration of Vizio’s SmartCast as a primary signal for how retail media and hardware will merge.

The consolidation of the TV OS market is accelerating as historically closed manufacturers shift toward licensing strategies. Per 9to5Google in October 2022, Samsung and LG began licensing Tizen and webOS to third-party brands like RCA, Akai, and Konka to rival the global reach of Google TV and Roku. This expansion aims to capture a larger percentage of the 'unspoken' global market, which Counterpoint Research identified as nearly half of all smart TVs. By 2025, Tizen alone powered over 120 million sets worldwide, according to reporting from Forbes in July 2025.

Simultaneously, the entry of major retailers into the hardware space is redefining the OS as a commerce vehicle. Walmart completed its $2.3 billion acquisition of VIZIO in December 2024, specifically targeting the SmartCast OS to bolster its Walmart Connect retail media business. Per Broadband TV News in December 2024, Omdia forecasts that retailers will control 47% of the North American TV OS market by 2029, a significant jump from 27% in 2025. This transition turns the TV into a closed-loop environment where viewing data can be directly linked to purchase behavior at the register.

In the U.S. domestic market, Roku maintained its leadership with a 34% unit share as of Q1 2025, according to Omdia data reported by Informa in July 2025. However, competitive pressure is mounting as Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Tizen maintain significant global shipment leads. TechInsights reported in Q4 2024 that Android/Google TV remains the leading global OS by shipment share at 24%, followed by Tizen at 16.9%. These figures highlight a bifurcated war: Roku holds North American advertising dominance, while Google and Samsung lead the global hardware distribution required to scale data collection.