Chinese consumer electronics company TCL said that it will soon ship smart TVs based on Google TV, Alphabet’s new iteration of the Android TV OS.
The TVs will arrive in the U.S. and other parts of the world later this year, said TCL in an announcement tied to this year’s virtualized CES conference.
“The introduction of TCL Google TVs will take our partnership with Google to the next level,” said Kevin Wang, CEO of TCL Industrial Holdings and TCL Electronics, in a statement. “Our theme at CES this year is ‘Experience More,’ and by combining cutting-edge displays with smart and convenient content powered by Google, I am confident we will allow people around the world to do just that in 2021.”
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TCL is the second-biggest supplier of smart TVs in the U.S., controlling around 14% of domestic market share, and surpassed only by Samsung. Most TCL televisions sold domestically have been powered by Roku. But the company began shipping a limited number of sets based on Google’s Android TV last year.
Alphabet’s Google recently upgraded Android TV to include a top-level search-and-recommendation layer called “Google TV.” Over time, Google TV will replace Android TV as the brand name of the entire OS.
Sony also said that it will ship Google TV-based smart TVs this year.
"We are excited to partner with TCL to bring Google TV to customers around the world. Google TV is a more helpful and delightful TV experience that helps users find the content they love," added Shobana Radhakrishnan, senior engineering director of Google TV, in a statement.
