The increased popularity of over-the-top (OTT) services has encouraged TV content creators, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, to release new content. In return, online streaming platform providers also followed this trend by developing custom apps for Smart TVs. Having been valued at USD 197.82 billion in 2022, the global TV market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4% from 2023 to 2030. The such tough competition enables content distributors and Smart TV app development companies to introduce next-gen functionality for attracting and retaining more clients.
It might be challenging for some of them to build a Smart TV app with an in-house team. Have you found yourself in a typical situation? No worries! You can find experts in Smart TV app development to do it for you.
How to Choose the Right Smart TV App Developers?
Once you’ve done some preparation work and set up goals, budget, and KPIs, you are ready to start the project. There are two options at your disposal: gather an in-house team or delegate the project to a third party. The latter is more common in the IT industry, which is proved by ISG research: 92% of G2000 companies use IT outsourcing. So, where can you find your ideal project partner? There is no need to reinvent the wheel; the best sources are listings with service providers categorized by domain expertise and services offered. Finally, you can just google “Smart TV app development companies’’ and shortlist the ones that seem to be relevant candidates for your project delivery.
Let’s imagine some companies have already made the first impression. Now, you need to select the one that would match your business needs. Here’s a short questionnaire to address outsourcers while outreaching.
- Have you delivered software solutions in the ‘’XXX’’ domain?
The portfolio is what helps you understand if the company is competent in your business domain. In case they have created similar Smart TV apps for others like yours, they are likely to launch your project delivery as soon as possible.
- Could you share any feedback from the clients you’ve worked with?
You can either look through the feedback page on the Smart TV app developer’s website or address this question directly in the outreach email. What should you pay attention to when reading the feedback? The clients would appreciate the delivery process transparency and the team’s dedication to understanding the client’s business. These two things are key to fruitful cooperation.
- Do you assist with app submission to the store and support at the after-launch stage?
The project delivery is not limited to app development, so you would need to upload it to the app store, which might be challenging. To streamline the process and ensure the app complies with all the requirements to be submitted, it’s better to address this challenge together with your technology companion.
- Do you have expertise in cross-platform development?
If you want to launch the product release faster and cheaper, you might be interested in building a one-for-all, or a so-called cross-platform app. You should be sure the software developer is adept in cross-platform technologies.
Below we’ve collected 10 Smart TV app development companies you should know about. You can look through their offerings to ‘’make the first match’’ and reach out to them, using the above-mentioned questionnaire.
10 Smart TV App Development Companies Shortlisted for You
1. Oxagile
Working with media and broadcasting companies for over 18 years, Oxagile has gained comprehensive expertise in creating interactive user experience on Smart TV. The team’s knowledge allows them to dive deep into your project specifics and deliver engaging UX/UI, optimize app performance bottlenecks, and overcome native player limitations, if any, with extended functionality. If you plan to extend your video streaming presence across all the digital channels, they might suggest an alternative solution: building a single codebase covering all major platforms and devices (Smart TVs, streaming devices, game consoles, set-top boxes, web and mobile) with no quality compromised.
Services offered by Oxagile:
- Custom Smart TV app development (webOS, Tizen, Android TV)
- Well-thought-out UX/UI design development
- All-angle Smart TV performance optimization
- Custom functionality development for native players
- Full support with smart TV app submission to the store until an app is successfully published
- Cross-platform OTT app development based on React Native for Web and LightningJS/RDK
2. Lightcast
Are you in search of Smart TV experts to develop an app for targeting Samsung consumers? Lightcast’s team knows everything about this manufacturer and its devices’ specifics and does everything to follow the three requirements of running a channel in Smart TVs: OVP, CDN, and Smart TV apps. What makes them stand out on the shortlist is that Lightcast offers several collaboration packages that include an OVP, Smart TV app development, and marketing consulting.
Services offered by Lightcast:
- Samsung TV app development
- Roku TV app development
- Apple TV app development
- Fire TV app development
- OVP platform offering
- Marketing consulting for viewership growth and monetization
3. TechAhead
It is another software development company that can help enhance the entertainment experience with video streaming apps compatible with multiple platforms, operating systems, and hardware. Covering the full cycle of Smart TV apps, TechAhead creates a wide range of software solutions: VOD apps, live streaming apps, set-top box apps, and multi-device applications for Samsung, LG, Sony, and other leading platforms.
Services offered by TechAhead:
- Building multi-screen streaming experience for popular platforms such as Samsung, LG, Sony, etc.
- Set-top boxes apps development
- VOD and live-streaming app development
- Smart TV platform migration
- End-to-end sanity and regression testing for all connected TV devices
- On-going app maintenance throughout the lifecycle
4. Promwad
Do you plan to develop an app for Tizen, webOS, or Android TV? Try to outreach Promwad! They cover the full scope of content delivery services. Among the features they implement are push notifications, parental control, voice-activated control, time-shifted viewing, and many others. Equipped with such technologies as artificial intelligence and neural networks, they may have a good offering for you.
Services offered by Promwad:
- Smart app TV development for various platforms: Tizen, webOS, Android TV
- Content monetization customized business models: TVOD, AVOD, SVOD
- Innovative technology implementation: AI, neural networks, etc.
5. Oodles Technologies
As you might be looking for a partner to accompany you from start to finish, you should consider Oodles Technologies for your project delivery. The company builds Smart TV apps with multi-CDN support, ensuring seamless cross-device streaming. For over eight years in OTT app development, the team has built Smart TV apps for startups, SMEs, and other businesses.
Services offered by Oodles Technologies:
- UI/UX design for Smart TV apps
- Integration of custom streaming apps with popular OTT platforms
- Migration of the existing tech stack to the new landscape
- End-to-end app testing and bug fixing
- Post-development support and on-demand maintenance
6. Better Software Group
With extensive expertise in developing Smart TV apps for LG and Samsung, Better Software Group’s developers can combine the recent popular OTT trends with well-tested technologies. Along with a front-end-focused approach, they can create the functionality your user will appreciate, no matter what TV they have.
Services offered by Better Software Group:
- Samsung and LG Smart TV app development
- Smart TV app design
- Analytics and measurements integrations
- Assistance with certification
7. Eastern Peak
Having established themselves as TV app developers, Eastern Peak has a large portfolio of apps for Roku and other platforms. If you are seeking an outsourcer with platform-focused expertise, you can collaborate with them if you need an app for Apple TV, Samsung TV, Roku TV, or Chromecast.
Services offered by Eastern Peak:
- Smart TV app development
- Set-top boxes app
- Live streaming and VOD apps
8. Fx Digital
Fx Digital works with all major TV-connected devices and platforms, including Samsung, Apple, Playstation, LG, Roku, Android, Panasonic, Fire TV, Xbox. Are any of the platforms among your targets? These guys understand the challenges of streaming across multiple regions and devices, support at all project stages, and constantly give industry insights.
Services offered by Fx Digital:
- Android TV app development
- Video Player Development
- OTT app development
- VOD app development
- TV QA and testing
9. Zibtek
Do you need more capacities to boost your Smart TV project delivery? Turn to Zibtek and expand your in-house team with Smart TV developers, designers, DevOps engineers, and many others. As it’s featured by the team, they ‘’enable e-commerce, e-learning, OTT platforms, and many other domains foray into the Television space with Smart TV, live Streaming, e-commerce and VOD applications’’.
Services offered by Zibtek:
- On-demand Smart TV app experts that augment customers’ teams
10. CognitiveClouds
Do you strive to target consumers with movies and other entertainment content? Do you aim to build video conferencing apps for Smart TVs that will enable business communications? Or do you deliver apps for retailers that use large TV screens for engaging visitors to interact with advertising content streaming in large buildings? Cognitive Clouds’ team states to cover all three use cases.
Services offered by Cognitive Clouds:
- Smart TV app development
6 Features that Add Value to Smart TV Apps
Smart, yet simple UX/UI, optimized platform performance, and smooth player interoperability are the three pillars of Smart TV apps that end users will enjoy. While collaborating with your tech partner, consider these features to make your users fall in love with your app.
- User behavior-based functionality
Avoid complicated functionality that doesn’t meet user behavior patterns and makes them leave the app in a few minutes. For example, users don’t want to waste much time searching for the episode they have paused. What’s the solution? For instance, you can improve user engagement by incorporating tracking capabilities.
- Navigation in three clicks
Once users face challenges navigating through a Smart TV app, they are likely to feel frustrated and leave it. Why not make their paths to the desired content simpler and more comfortable? Help them add a show to their favorites or find what they are looking for in less than three clicks and enjoy the growth of satisfied users.
- Voice search
Typing search queries is no longer a primary option for busy users. The stats speak for themselves: 50 percent of the US population uses voice search features daily, while 71% of consumers prefer to conduct queries by voice instead of typing. It’s a great chance to stand out in the video streaming market by incorporating voice search functionality.
- Intelligent suggestions
Learn user preferences and suggest what they really enjoy. Targeted content featured on the main screen, mood-, event-, time-, genre-based recommendations and many other content suggestion best practices and creative hooks will help you save your users’ time and give them the desired content.
- Synchronization with companion devices
Let users enjoy the same UI as is offered in your Smart TV app. Just imagine how satisfied they would be if they didn’t need to type with a remote control but choose a movie on a mobile device and watch it on a big screen.
- Custom functionality for native video players
Despite native players’ outstanding reliability, they occasionally lack the features that can make your offering stand out. Improve personalization and usability with subtitles supported by multiple languages, user-friendly functionality for a fast episode or channel zapping, etc.
Final Words
Smart TVs have been an integral part of consumers’ daily lives and business processes. Entertaining content, advertising videos, online conferencing, and other use cases are not new to device manufacturers, content providers, TV app development companies, and end users. Whether you create video content, distribute it, or build app solutions, the key goal is to ensure an outstanding viewing experience. With the right Smart TV app development approach and technology advisors, there is a solution that will boost user interactions and loyalty.
