LG Electronics enters TV content platform market with its webOS software

LG's smart TVs are equipped with its webOS platform.
LG's smart TVs are equipped with its webOS platform.
Jeong-Soo Hwang 2
2021-02-24 17:42:25 hjs@hankyung.com
TV content platforms

South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. is entering the TV content platform market by offering its web-based software to TV makers through a partnership with global content providers.

The electronics giant said on Feb. 24 that it will provide some 20 rival TV manufacturers with its webOS platform for smart TVs.

The TV makers, including RCA of the US, China’s Konka Group and Australia’s Ayon, will unveil smart TVs equipped with LG’s webOS platform, it said.

To attract more TV brands to use its smart TV platform, LG said it has also signed partnerships with streaming giants such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon as well as forging business ties with technology solutions providers Realtek Semiconductor Corp. and Universal Electronics Inc.

“The openness, easy accessibility and user-friendly interface that webOS TVs offer are widely accepted in the TV market. LG is going to expand its business areas beyond hardware products into the software and content businesses,” said Park Hyoung-sei, president of LG’s home entertainment division.

SMART TVs TO DOMINATE MARKET

According to market researcher Omdia, smart TVs accounted for 84.8% of total global TV shipments in 2020, up from 71.6% in 2018. That portion is forecast to rise to more than 90% by 2024.

LG Electronics said 90% of its TV shipments last year were smart TVs, through which users can enjoy video content with an internet connection. The company shipped a total of 30 million TVs in 2020.

LG has been stepping up its software capabilities in its TV business in recent years.

Logos of firms and services that support LG's webOS smart TV platform
Logos of firms and services that support LG's webOS smart TV platform

Last month, the Korean company acquired a controlling stake in US-based TV data analysis startup Alphonso Inc. for $80 million to strengthen its software and service capabilities in its smart TV lineup.

FROM TV MAKER TO CONTENT PROVIDER

With the acquisition, LG Electronics hopes to transform from a TV manufacturer into a content provider.

LG operates its own streaming service, LG Channels, through which the company provides its smart TV buyers with thousands of films and other streaming content for free.

Chief Executive Kwon Bong-seok, who took the helm of the Korean home appliances giant in March 2020, has been actively pursuing acquisitions to grow the company as a digital solutions provider.

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.

LG Electronics' 2020 sales, operating profit hit all-time highs

LG Electronics' 2020 sales, operating profit hit all-time highs

Home appliances made by LG Electronics South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. on Friday posted record 2020 operating profit and revenue, boosted by robust sales in its home appliance division amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Full-year operating profit surged 31% to an all-time high of 3.2 trillion w

LG Electronics to consider selling smartphone business

LG Electronics to consider selling smartphone business

South Korea-based LG Electronics Inc. looks to be considering selling off its struggling smartphone division, which has been in the red for 23 consecutive quarters, reaching a cumulative operating loss of 5 trillion won ($4.5 billion).“We’ve come to a point where we need to make

LG reveals rollable smartphone with expanded screen

LG reveals rollable smartphone with expanded screen

▲ LG rollable OLED smartphone teaser at CES 2021 The man in the video spreads out a screen rolled up in the back of a smartphone, with the phone display expanding to the size of a tablet PC.LG Electronics Inc.’s rollable smartphone made an appearance at CES 2021, the world’s bigge

Samsung, LG vie for top spot as premium TV players at CES 2021

Samsung, LG vie for top spot as premium TV players at CES 2021

Samsung's Micro LED TV Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., the world’s two largest TV makers, are showcasing a series of new models at the world’s biggest tech expo amid intensified global competition for the high-end TV segment.The two South Korean companies are expect

LG Electronics, Magna to launch $1 bn EV gear JV

LG Electronics, Magna to launch $1 bn EV gear JV

LG Electronics Inc. and Magna International Inc. will form a $1 billion joint venture to build electric car components as the tech companies tap into the growing global demand for electric vehicles.LG, a unit of South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate, said in a regulatory filing on De

(* comment hide *}