More than a year after launching its smart TV platform in Europe, TiVo is now bringing it to the US. The company’s putting its TiVo OS platform inside a new Sharp TV arriving as soon as February, rivaling the likes of Roku, Google TV, and Amazon’s Fire TV.
TiVo first announced TiVo OS in 2022, but the platform didn’t actually launch until last year. The company bills its operating system as a “neutral” platform, allowing TV manufacturers to put their own spin on the viewing experience. It says TiVo OS supports “a wide range” of streaming services and comes with a recommendation system that serves up “personalized suggestions.” TiVo OS also offers voice controls for select TVs, but it doesn’t say whether this Sharp one is included.
The TiVo-equipped Sharp TV seems pretty standard: it comes with a 55-inch 4K QLED panel, along with three HDMI ports and Dolby Atmos. There’s still no word on how much it will cost or if TiVo plans on bringing its operating system to other TV brands. Over in Europe, TiVo OS comes packaged in TVs from several different companies, including Sharp, Panasonic, Daewoo, and others.
Still, TiVo is up against some tough competition in the smart TV platform business. Roku-powered TVs remain one of the most popular choices in the US, while a wide selection of brands already use Amazon and Google’s OS. It will likely have to be priced competitively if it wants to stand out in the sea of smart TVs.