As the industry slowly but surely moves to streaming, a new player has emerged on the scene. Or a new group of players, to be exact.

Smart TV OEMs like Samsung, Vizio and LG are poised to play a major role in the new streaming ecosystem, taking on the role the MVPDs play in the current linear ecosystem, and then some

That’s because in addition to playing gatekeeper to all the new subscription, niche and FAST services, the OEMs have their own programming, their own ad slots, their own ad sales teams and their own data and measurement services.

Together, that has them poised to become key players in the emerging streaming universe, a role that will only continue to expand as more viewers make the shift to streaming. 

One key driver of the OEM’s expanding power is their emphasis on user experience and interface: the clunky systems of the 00s have been replaced by sleek, easy to navigate interfaces and simplified remote controls that are convincing more and more viewers to dispense with peripheral devices.

Meaning the TV’s OS is becoming key, which is why Roku, Amazon and even Google are striking deals to put their operating systems directly on smart TVs as well, further expanding the base.

TV[R]EV’s New Special Reports

This emerging ecosystem has largely flown under the radar as the spotlight was focused on all the new SVOD services and ad tech plays.

Which made it the perfect topic for a TV[R]EV report.

Or a series of reports, as the case may be.