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Android TV is an operating system for televisions and set-top boxes developed by Google. It continues the tradition of the smartphone OS of the same name but takes into account the peculiarities of TV. It allows you to install applications and games from Google Play for the big screen and watch movies without cable channels. In the future, according to experts, this system will dominate the market. In such circumstances, Android TV app development becomes a very promising solution that can provide the business with a huge audience and profit. How to develop an Android TV app and how much does it cost? Read on to find out.
What is an Android TV app?
Simply put, the operating system in TV lets users do what they’re used to doing on their smartphone: run different apps from Google Play, surf the Internet, and generally have easy access to interactive entertainment. Android TV is essentially code (its core is Linux, written in the C and C++ programming languages) or a set of algorithms that link the processor, memory, and other elements of the TV’s computing system directly to programs and applications.
According to Statista, 70% of the TVs sold in 2018 were Smart TV-enabled. In other words, they had either the Android TV OS or its counterparts in them. Now the percentage is likely higher. In 2021, more than half of the world’s TVs, 52% (including those bought several years ago), as Hub Entertainment Research notes, are Smart TVs. Among people over 35, the share of owners of such TVs is even higher, at 61%.
What kind of Android TV apps are there?
There are plenty of Android TV apps, but their functionality can be reduced to the following categories:
- IPTV – interactive television over the Internet protocol. Available through a telecom operator.
- OTT (Over the Top) – Internet TV, where content is delivered directly to the user, bypassing the operator. All popular online movie theaters and video services work on this technology: Netflix, Hulu, Disney, and even YouTube. Movies and series can be accessed both on the sites and through apps.
- Apps and games designed with large screens and user behavior scenarios in mind (they are different when interacting with the smartphone touch screen and remote control). Now there are more than 2.5 thousand such applications on Google Play. Google controls their compatibility with TV, so the probability to find an application with bugs is lower than on a smartphone or tablet.
- Internet surfing, viewing and listening to media files (photos, videos, music) from external media (flash drives, memory cards), as well as recording the air on your hard drive.
- Users can stream video from their PC, laptop, smartphone, and tablet over the Internet to their TV – the Chromecast function is responsible for this.
How does the Android TV app development process work?
As in the case of the development of software for any other platform, the smart TV app development process consists of several key steps. Below we will say a couple of words about each of them.
IT Consulting
When you come to your technology partner with your Android TV app idea, they need to assess the resources needed for its realization and make a clear plan of action. That’s exactly what happens at this stage.
UX/UI design
Next, designers create the appearance of the Android TV app, as well as the logic of interaction between the elements in it.
Development
At this stage, developers write the code for the Android TV app and test it.
Integration
After that, they put it on the app store. This process might take some time.
Post-release support
After the release of the Android TV app, the work does not end. Then you need to ensure that the Android TV app works smoothly and update it if necessary.
How much does it cost to develop an Android TV app?
Now let’s talk about the cost of Android TV app development. It is determined by two key factors, namely the complexity of the Android TV app and the developer’s rate per hour. In the US and Western Europe, a simple Android TV app project will cost you around $10,000, while a complicated one will cost $80,000.
There are several ways to reduce the price of the Android TV app and the most effective one is outsourcing. You can reduce the cost by outsourcing your Android app to experts in other regions without any quality loss. For example, a team from Eastern Europe can build you an Android TV app at half the price mentioned above.
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Most TVs now come with Android TV apps. In this situation, you need to catch the wave and take a piece of the huge audience. The main thing is to find a reliable technology partner with experience in creating Android TV apps. Contact Perfsol now and our experts will help you bring your idea to life.