Report: Android TV is the fastest-growing TV platform, but share in North America is still weak

Ben Schoon | Feb 8 2022 - 9:10 am PT

Google’s Android TV OS is a new area of focus for the company, with the Google TV experience taking over on more TVs and heading to more brands. Thanks to new analyst data, we can see that Google’s efforts are paying off, as Android TV appears to be the fastest-growing TV platform as of Q4 2021, but its share in North America is still weak.

A new report from Conviva (via FlatPanelsHD) offers an update on the streaming market as of Q4 2021. The report uses viewing time to determine the share of each respective platform. As such, these numbers may not reflect actual sales, but they do give good insight into what people are actively using.

According to this report, Android TV is the fastest-growing TV platform. Android TV OS grew by 42% in Q4 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. This growth was just beyond what Samsung and LG TV saw, at 27% and 36%, respectively. Roku also grew, but only 12% year-over-year. Meanwhile, consoles including PlayStation and Xbox shrank considerably, while Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV each took slight dips.

Google’s previous Chromecast platform was entirely stagnant. This comes as little surprise, as Google has stopped selling its 4K-ready Chromecast Ultra and mostly ignored the $30 Chromecast dongle. Recent reports hint that Google is ready to discontinue that product as well, with a FHD Chromecast running Android TV OS in the works.

Those numbers, however, look at a worldwide perspective. Breaking things down by region, Android TV OS still has a lot of work to do. The platform remains dominant in Asia, where Android TV holds a whopping 51% of the market. Google’s platform also managed respectable numbers in Europe, Oceania, and South America.

Where Android TV OS still seems to be struggling is in North America, where share was a measly 3% in a market dominated by Roku’s 41%. However, that is slightly up. Another estimate from Q2 of 2021 claimed Android TV held around 2% of the market. Google previously touted strong US growth of “80%.” Chromecast still holds another 3% of share in North America.