The Future of Television: How Android TV and the Operator Tier Program are Driving Enhanced End-User Engagement

The rapid rate of technological innovations across the video domain and the growing popularity of IPTV/OTT services have resulted in a surge in demand for more powerful media devices with advanced features. Considering the speed of proliferation of new technology and the growing shift towards personalization – the twin drivers of innovation – greater speed to market and enhanced customer experience is the need of the hour. As consumers expectations for growing integration and extension of multi-media coverage continues to take center-stage, the transition to an Android TV platform is but a logical progression.

Research indicates that the global Android TV market is expected to reach USD 231 billion by 2026, registering a stellar 20% CAGR from 2019 onwards. This phenomenal growth can be attributed largely to the growing worldwide demand for high resolution television services and media devices, the shift in customer dynamics in favor of online content, and the rising availability of affordable, high-speed internet connectivity.  

The Android TV Landscape 

The Android TV platform is designed for smart televisions and media devices (set-top boxes and dongles). Android TV’s comprehensive media and entertainment features therefore translates into ample opportunities for smart TV manufacturers and pay TV operators to tap into a large and growing end-user ecosystem. As global trends for the last three years indicate, the adoption of Android TV across geographies by pay TV operators continues to grow at an exponential rate, with millions of new subscribers added every year, attracted by a wide and exciting bouquet of services and programming. The robust demand trajectory is expected to remain steady in the coming years as operators worldwide continue to focus on enhancing the quality of their broadcast.  

Operator Tier Program: Driving the Future

It is obvious that for a media product to stay competitive in the market space, it should focus on differentiation, user experience, content quality, attractive features for end user, and building blocks that help drive engagement and widespread user acceptance. The Android TV ecosystem is rich with varied opportunities in this direction, pointing towards significant future leverage in the offering.

The Android TV Operator Tier program is one such opportunity, which has emerged as key driver for the growing worldwide trend among operators to switch to the platform. It is a fast and cost-effective way of building a state-of-the-art services bouquet, with the opportunity to customize the overall user experience.

Operators can leverage the program to integrate their brand identity into the product and customize the user experience. The ability to go beyond the limitations of pre-set user interface features also allows for a greater streamlined search paradigm, with the potential of allowing the user to find their preferred content every time they switch on the product. Hyper-personalization is therefore made possible for the widest set of viewers.

Again, the option to tap into the expanded Android app ecosystem is a major enabler. In addition to that, the ability to leverage voice commands for content search and other applications is a key benefit from this advanced feature.

Operators also have the flexibility of leveraging the program to effectively manage their user preferences and showcasing their video content offerings. The Operator Tier program is therefore helping redefine the TV-viewing experience in today’s connected world.

From Broadcast to Customer Delight

The emergence of the smart media devices has helped reshape the global media audience ecosystem. With Android TV and the Operator Tier program continuing to find growing acceptance through their ability to deliver video content and preferred user experiences, we are therefore looking at a future where better subscriber engagement and customer delight are not just mere targets on the board, but an on-ground reality.