LG Begins Licensing WebOS Smart TV Platform to Outside TV Brands

LG Electronics will license webOS TV software platform development and adoption to other TV brands, with RCA, Ayonz and Konka the first of about 20 globally to sign on, said the manufacturer Wednesday. "By welcoming other manufacturers to join the webOS TV ecosystem,” LG is “embarking on a new path” that extends the features of LG TVs to non-LG brands, said Park Hyoung-sei, LG Home Entertainment president. LG’s strategy “signals consolidation” in smart TV operating platforms, speculated Strategy Analytics. WebOS TV has 7% share in the market for smart TV operating systems, behind Samsung’s Tizen, but ahead of Sony PlayStation, Amazon’s Fire TV OS, Roku TV OS and Google’s Android TV, said SA. “The rest of the market is highly fragmented, and LG’s move is likely to soak up some of the smaller players rather than having an impact on its major rivals,” SA said.