Samsung is reportedly following in the footsteps of its rival LG Electronics, licensing its Tizen operating system to Tempo, the parent company of midtier TV manufacturers such as Bauhn, Linsar and Akai.
LG has been promoting the financial benefits of licensing its webOS operating system to third party TV makers for some time now, and has generated a nice little revenue stream from that business, Indeed, while the company currently licenses webOS to more than 20 brands, including RCA, Polaroid, Blaupunkt, Ayonz, EKO, Aiwa, Linsar and Konka, it recently announced plans to sign up as many as 200 TV manufacturers by the end of this year.
Samsung is only just dipping its toes into the idea of licensing Tizen and it’s reportedly starting with Tempo, which is an Australia-based consumer goods firm that houses multiple electronics and other brands.
The Linsar, Bauhn and Akai brands will likely become the first to offer new “Tizen TV by Samsung” models, using their own hardware plus the Tizen operating system, which includes apps such as Netflix and also, Samsung TV Plus, an ad-supported streaming service that offers access to hundreds of channels. Some of the better known ones include ABC News Live, Bloomberg TV+, Hallmark Movies & More, Impact Wrestling, Love Nature 4K, Nick Pluto TV, Paramount Movie Channel, PBS Kids and Weather Nation.
The report by Australian media outlet Channel News says that Tempo’s new Tizen TV by Samsung TVs will go on sale at retailers including Aldi, and that the agreement doesn’t only apply to its Australian stores, but also those in the U.K., New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain. So TV shoppers in those countries could soon have plenty more mid-range options to choose from.
Channel News has already spotted some listings, including a 65-inch Bauhn 4K TV (pictured above) on a local Aldi website that sells for AUD$ 699, which would equate to around £399 in U.K. money. It said Linsar and Akai are also planning to launch Tizen TV by Samsung TVs in the not too distant future. Consumers will have a choice to make then, because all three of those brands also currently sell webOS-based TVs.
It makes sense for Samsung to want to cash in on the Tizen operating system, which was first launched in 2012 and has now evolved to become one of the most comprehensive TV platforms around. By licensing Tizen to other TV brands, Samsung can expect to generate a steady income stream from the sale of subscription TV content and video streaming, as well as advertising. That’s in contrast to TV sales, which only generate a one-time profit. In addition, Tizen can also generate fees from application developers.
What remains to be seen is if Samsung or LG will ever become open to the idea of renting their TV operating systems to more direct competitors in the space, such as Panasonic, Sony, Philips and TCL, which sell high-end televisions that are comparable with their own.
