Ta-ra. Seeya later. Bon voyage. Auf wiedersehen.
Although Philips probably didn’t use any of those words, it has said goodbye to Google TV with the 2026 TV models, and brought Titan OS into the fold as the main UX partner.
This could be a very good arrangement for Philips.
The battle for customers’ attention in the TV space will, in my view, come down to the user interface. You can throw as many specs at the wall as you want, but at the end of the day, people like a TV that’s easy to use, and while Google TV is very good, in hindsight, perhaps it wasn’t the best partner for Philips.
A smart change?
It’s a change that could end up being a smart move for Philips. Google TV is a big platform; it has all the global apps, it comes with integrated smarts and connectivity such as Google Assistant, Google Home and Google Cast. If you want a capable user experience, then Google TV offers that.
But in the UK at least, it’s had and continues to have an issue with catch-up apps and services. I’ve heard a few voices give their opinion, and at least one issue was that catch-up and on-demand services such as BBC’s iPlayer and Channel 4 did not want to let go of non-negotiables – namely their position at the top of the EPG; whereas Google wanted to bring some flexibility and change to that.
I can’t say that’s the absolute truth on the matter but an opinion that’s been floated as to why Google TV and UK TV services haven’t really got on with each other. It’s likely the reason why Panasonic, released TiVo and Fire TV models in the UK while Europe got Google TV models instead.
It’s likely the reason why iPlayer rarely appears on Google TV models in the UK, aside from Sony and TCL models, who seem to have gone through the trouble of negotiating their own deals (or using different TV platforms) to get these apps onboard.
Whether it’s a TV or a smart projector, Google TV is almost certainly leaving iPlayer off the list; while Channel 4’s level of support is sketchy. And let’s not beat about the bush – these are apps that many want to have included from the get-go. Not having them is a disadvantage in the minds of UK customers who want a TV that’s easy to use.
And therefore it’s a disadvantage to Philips. The Philips OLED910 is a great TV but I’ll have to highlight the fact that it doesn’t have iPlayer will annoy customers who simply want a TV packaged with everything they might need. Does anyone remember the kerfuffle customers brought up when LG TVs dropped Freeview Play? Is that important to many.
A titan in waiting
But switching to Titan OS makes sense. Philips has practically incubated this user platform from birth, working with them on their less expensive TVs and gradually adding to across the line to the point where it’s available on the flagship level.
It’s certainly not as big a brand name as Google is, but now Philips can weave a story that includes both them and Titan OS, rather than being eased out of the way by Google taking the limelight.
They can build a platform that works for Philips, with much closer collaboration. Titan themselves are looking to bring in some interesting new features, including a sports section that’s tailored to what the viewer wants to watch, rather than what the platform wants you to watch.
Say you prefer watching tennis? Based on what you’ve clicked, the platform will learn what you like, and rather than focus on shovelling association football to your eyeballs, you’ll instead be presented with tennis content instead.
This is a long-term goal and not something that’s going to be launched in the next few months, but it’s a sign of what can be done on a smaller scale, rather than being a smaller voice next to a global player such as Google.
Titan OS supports Freely, so you get all the catch-up apps and services included from the get-go. It might not have the flash or scale of Google TV, but it’s building up a base and growing in terms of recognition.
After all, what does Philips have to lose? If anything, it should be seen as what Philips can gain from such a move. I think there’s plenty of opportunity available for Philips and Titan to make their mark.
