Samsung on Monday announced it will be licensing Tizen OS to third-party smart TV manufacturers for the first time. The move comes on the heels of rival LG penning deals to license its webOS platform for smart TVs to other companies last week.
Tizen started out as an Android alternative for smartphones, but it has since morphed into an open-source operating system for Samsung’s smart TVs.
Samsung is collaborating with several international ODM (Original Development Manufacturing) companies like Atmaca, HKC, and Tempo to bring Tizen OS to non-Samsung smart TVs.
Most smart TVs from lesser-known brands run on Android TV, which can be clunky at times and offers limited features. Tizen OS is an excellent alternative to Android TV, with expansive search and personalization capabilities, support for multiple voice assistants, and Apple Airplay compatibility.
With Tizen OS, TVs from Samsung’s partner brands will be able to offer the same smart features found in Samsung’s own TVs. These include Samsung TV Plus, a free TV and video streaming platform; Universal Guide for content discovery across streaming platforms and personalized recommendations; and Bixby, Samsung’s own voice assistant.
New smart TVs powered by Tizen will start hitting stores later this year. Bauhn, Linsar, Sunny, Vispera, and other participating brands will launch the first of these models in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
“2022 has been a memorable year for Tizen OS as we celebrate its 10th anniversary and the very first Tizen-powered smart TVs available from other brands,” said Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.
“Starting with these new Tizen-powered smart TVs, we will continue to expand the licensing program and introduce Tizen OS and its ecosystem to more products and brands around the world.”
According to Samsung, around 200 million people across 197 countries are currently using Tizen OS-powered Samsung smart TVs. This number will only go up, and significantly, as Tizen expands to smart TVs from third-party manufacturers.
