The connected television platform that a household uses as their primary point of engagement for streaming TV apps and services is influencing the content search and discovery experience on a more-regular basis, according to new data from Hub Entertainment Research.
In an excerpt from Hub’s “Evolution of the TV Set” report released on Monday, the intelligence firm said most households now have three television sets, including two smart televisions. As those devices become the primary gateway to streaming services, the software powering them is taking on a larger role in programming discovery and advertising.
Roku continues to be the platform found in most homes, with a 37 percent share of smart TVs, while Amazon’s Fire TV accounts for 17 percent, according to Hub. Both platforms ranked ahead of Android TV, Samsung’s Tizen, LG’s webOS and Apple TV.
Viewers increasingly experience television through app-based home screens rather than conventional channel guides, Hub noted. That shift gives operating-system providers greater influence over app placement, recommendations and the visibility of individual movies and television programs.
Search remains the leading priority: Sixty percent of respondents described easy search as a very important discovery feature, compared with 31 percent who said the same about personalized recommendations and 25 percent who prioritized trending content.
Interest in artificial intelligence tools was also concentrated around discovery. Twenty-eight percent of respondents selected features that would more effectively exclude programming they dislike, while 27 percent favored tools that identify similar content they may enjoy.
Many platforms are already looking to artificial intelligence as a key way to improve the search and discovery experience: In February, Samsung announced a partnership with Nielsen’s metadata business Gracenote to power a new AI-driven search platform within its Tizen OS devices, and Roku recently refreshed its home screen to incorporate more AI-powered, personalized content and app recommendations.
By refreshing its home screen, Roku is tapping into the primary menu that users turn to when looking for new things to watch, Hub notes. Home screen placement continues to affect viewing behavior even when consumers say search is their top priority, the research firm said, adding recommended titles displayed within Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV and Roku environments were more likely to be watched than titles promoted through Samsung’s Tizen or LG’s webOS.
The initial television setup process represents another important point of influence. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they install applications suggested during setup. At the same time, 56 percent said they rarely add applications after the first day of ownership, up from 47 percent in 2024.
That behavior makes placement during device activation increasingly valuable for streaming services seeking to secure long-term visibility and usage.
“The conversation around finding great TV to watch is poised to become like the ‘Mac vs. PC’ or ‘Android vs. iPhone’ battles from prior years — as viewers learn that some TV operating systems do better jobs than others at helping them find good stuff to watch,” Jason Platt Zolov, a Senior Consultant at Hub, said in a statement on Monday.
Zolov said Fox’s $22 billion acquisition of Roku could become a significant test of how ownership of a television operating system affects the competitive position of a major media company.
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