As an e-commerce strategist, I’ve seen the lines between retail and media blur for years, but the current transformation in the smart TV space is something else entirely. We’re witnessing a fundamental power shift where the living room screen is the new storefront. Retail giants are no longer content with just selling the hardware; they’re seizing control of the operating system itself to create powerful, integrated e-commerce ecosystems. This interview will explore how this battle for the TV OS is unfolding, the role of conversational AI in making our TVs shoppable, and what these changes mean for consumers and manufacturers alike.
Retailer control of the North American TV OS market is forecast to jump to 47% by 2029. What specific strategies are driving this aggressive shift from hardware sales to e-commerce, and what are the primary implications for traditional TV manufacturers?
The driving force behind this shift is a complete reevaluation of where the real value lies. For retailers, the one-time profit from selling a TV set is pocket change compared to the long-term revenue stream from controlling the software. By owning the operating system, they control a powerful platform for e-commerce and retail media advertising, turning every viewing session into a potential shopping opportunity. They’re prioritizing this recurring revenue over just moving units off the shelves. For traditional TV manufacturers who don’t have a compelling OS of their own, this is a massive challenge. They risk being relegated to mere hardware producers, losing the direct relationship with the consumer and becoming dependent on the very retailers who are now their biggest competitors in the software space.
With Walmart’s CastOS shipments projected to hit 14 million units by 2027 following the Vizio acquisition, can you detail the key steps in this growth strategy? Please elaborate on how this positions Walmart against Amazon’s established FireTV ecosystem.
Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio was an incredibly strategic and aggressive move to directly challenge Amazon’s dominance. The plan is clear: rapidly scale the CastOS platform by leveraging Vizio’s existing market presence. We’re already seeing this in action, with Vizio unit shipments projected to jump a staggering 37.5% from 4.8 million in 2024 to 6.6 million in 2025. This outpaces Amazon’s FireTV growth, which is only an 11.5% increase in the same period. By 2029, projections show Walmart’s CastOS and Amazon’s FireTV will ship a combined 23.6 million units. This isn’t just about selling TVs; it’s about building a massive, captive audience on their own platform, positioning Walmart to compete head-to-head with Amazon for control of the living room’s e-commerce future.
At CES 2026, a major theme was conversational AI, with Google integrating Gemini for “shoppable” video. Can you walk me through how this technology bridges the gap between watching and buying, and what challenges must be overcome for it to become a mainstream consumer habit?
It’s a fascinatingly seamless concept that feels like a natural evolution of the viewing experience. Imagine you’re watching a movie, and you see a pair of sneakers you love. Instead of pulling out your phone and trying to search for them, you can simply ask your TV, “Where can I buy those sneakers?” The AI, like Google’s Gemini, identifies the item on-screen and instantly provides a QR code or an option to add it to your Google Shopping cart, all without interrupting what you’re watching. The main challenge is behavioral. We are conditioned to see our TVs as passive entertainment devices. To make this a mainstream habit, the experience has to be incredibly intuitive, non-intrusive, and genuinely useful, solving a problem for the viewer rather than feeling like another layer of advertising.
Outside of North America, Google TV is expected to gradually lose market share to competitors like VIDAA, Titan, and TiVo. What unique features or business models are these challengers using to gain ground, and what lessons can other OS providers learn from their approach?
These challengers are succeeding by being nimble and strategically focused. Take VIDAA, for example. It’s not just a TV OS anymore; it’s rebranding as “V Home OS” to signal its ambition to be a central hub for the smart home, encompassing AI and shopping. This broader vision is a key differentiator. They are also forming strategic partnerships, like integrating Microsoft’s Copilot AI, to bring advanced features to their platform quickly. The lesson here is that you can’t just be a content aggregator anymore. OS providers need to build a holistic ecosystem that offers unique value, whether through advanced AI, smart home integration, or specialized e-commerce features, to carve out a space against giants like Google.
VIDAA OS is partnering with Microsoft Copilot, while Google is using its own Gemini AI. How do these distinct AI integration strategies compare, and which approach do you believe offers a more compelling long-term platform for both user engagement and e-commerce?
This is a classic “build versus buy” scenario playing out in the OS space. Google is leveraging its massive, vertically integrated ecosystem with its own Gemini AI. This gives them tight control and a seamless user experience across all Google services, from search to shopping. VIDAA, on the other hand, is taking a partnership approach by integrating Microsoft Copilot. This allows them to quickly incorporate powerful, cutting-edge generative AI without the immense R&D cost of developing it in-house. In the long term, both strategies are aimed at the same goal: creating a smarter, more interactive platform that drives engagement and commerce. Google’s approach might offer a more deeply integrated experience, but VIDAA’s strategy is incredibly smart for a challenger, allowing it to compete on features and innovation without needing Google’s resources.
What is your forecast for the evolution of the smart TV interface over the next five years, particularly regarding the balance between content viewing and integrated e-commerce?
I foresee the smart TV interface becoming a highly personalized and predictive “life dashboard.” The line between content and commerce will effectively dissolve. Your TV will not only know what shows you want to watch but will also anticipate what products you might be interested in based on your viewing habits, your conversations with its AI, and your past purchases. The homepage won’t just be a grid of apps; it will be a dynamic surface that blends entertainment recommendations with curated shopping opportunities and smart home controls. The challenge for developers will be to maintain a delicate balance, ensuring that these e-commerce integrations feel like a helpful service that enhances the viewing experience rather than an intrusive commercial that disrupts it.
