CES 2016: Android TV Spreads its Wings

Android TV, Google’s video streaming and apps platform for smart TVs and other connected devices, will look to keep the heat on rivals such as Roku, Apple and Amazon as it expands to a wider range of devices in 2016.

Android TV, already supported by some TVs from Sony, Sharp and Philips, will expand to TVs from several other suppliers, including Arcelik, Vestel, RCA, Bang & Olufsen, and two current Roku TV partners – TCL and Hisense – later this year, Google “Streaming Media Maven” Adrienne McCallister announced in this blog post.

Consumers in Indonesia, she added, now have access to Android TV thanks to a deal with pay TV provider Linknet.

Google Cast, the system that’s baked into the Chromecast, is also weaving itself into more speakers, soundbars and A/V receivers. This year, several more of those  suppliers will tie in Google Cast, including B&O Play, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Philips, Pioneer, and Raumfeld. Sony and LG were among the early integrators in that category.