ROKU - Google Just Made Sure It's Going to Win the Smart TV War
Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) flagship company Google has all but ensured it's going to become the dominant name in connected televisions. With most investors consumed by coronavirus news, this news would have been easy to miss. But once the contagion cools, it could alter the landscape of the smart TV market, which could soon be worth $300 billion per year.
After discussions with multiple smart TV manufacturing executives, the online news site Protocol explained last week that Google's confidential Android Compatibility Commitment bars those companies from also making smart televisions powered by other, "forked" versions of its Android operating system. That includes the Fire OS from Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), which is built on a highly altered version of Android.
And the penalty for using an unofficial version of Android to power smart TVs? That manufacturer's customers may lose access to the Play Store, and be prevented from using Google apps...even on smartphones and tablets made by that company.