Smart TV Ecosystems After Casting: Distribution Tactics for Video Publishers

Smart TV Ecosystems After Casting: Distribution Tactics for Video Publishers

Hook: If your audience used to transfer viewing from phone to TV with a tap, the landscape just changed. With major platforms narrowing casting support — most notably Netflix's January 2026 removal of broad mobile-to-TV casting — publishers and creators face a new reality: reaching viewers on smart TVs now demands optimized apps, richer metadata, and tighter platform partnerships. This brief gives a tactical playbook to get you discoverable, playable and monetizable on smart TVs in 2026.

The most important shift: casting is becoming a fringe vector

Late 2025 and early 2026 accelerated a trend we saw building for years: device makers and large streamers are prioritizing native, controlled TV experiences over second-screen casting. Netflix's decision to stop supporting casting from its mobile apps to most smart TVs was the clearest signal that second-screen handoffs are no longer a reliable distribution path for third-party publishers.

“Fifteen years after laying the groundwork for casting, Netflix has pulled the plug on the technology…” — reporting, The Verge, Jan 2026

What this means for publishers and creators: you can no longer treat casting as a passive distribution channel. To reach living-room audiences at scale you must proactively show up in the smart TV ecosystem — with optimized apps, platform-specific metadata-first feeds, and distribution deals that secure homescreen placement or aggregator carriage.

Quick summary: Key tactics in one list

• Prioritize native TV apps (or lean, validated web apps) for major OSes: Android TV/Google TV, Roku, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV (tvOS).
• Build metadata-first feeds (EIDR, schema.org/VideoObject, Open Graph) and standardized ingest endpoints for partners.
• Ship platform SDKs, DRM support, and measurement hooks (SCTE-35, SSAI, Nielsen/Comscore tags).
• Negotiate placement: preloads, featured tiles, FAST channel carriage, and operator bundles.
• Test and iterate thumbnails, short descriptions, categories, and curated collections specific to TV UX.
• Use alternative second-screen experiences: QR link-to-launch, companion apps, and remote control handoff flows instead of relying on casting.

Why building for smart TV matters in 2026

Connected TV (CTV) continues to capture viewer attention and ad dollars. By 2026, advertisers and platforms have doubled down on CTV measurement and programmatic ecosystems; that makes smart TVs a high-value target — but one that now requires active engineering and commercial effort. Casting used to provide a low-effort path to the big screen. With that path narrowing, publishers who do the work will reclaim scale and revenue advantages.

Practical playbook: Apps, metadata and partnerships

The following sections provide actionable steps you can deploy in 30-, 90- and 180-day windows.

30-day sprint: Audit and triage

Start with a rapid assessment that surfaces the highest-impact gaps.

• Inventory endpoints: list all sources of traffic that end on TV now (website TV links, casting events, companion apps, existing native apps, FAST channels).
• Telemetry check: verify current TV traffic using analytics — device types, OS breakdown, session length, revenue per user.
• Compliance and DRM: confirm which DRM systems and codecs you support; prioritize Widevine, PlayReady and FairPlay depending on platform target.
• Metadata health scan: check if each asset has title, short/long descriptions, genre, cast, language options, closed captions, content rating, release year, and availability window.
• Monetization map: list current revenue sources (SVOD, AVOD, FAST, syndication) and the dependencies for each on platform integrations.

90-day plan: Build the foundations

Execute the engineering and metadata work that unlocks platform distribution.

1. Launch or improve native TV apps

Why: native apps offer better discovery, smoother playback, and direct monetization control — all critical after casting recedes.

• Prioritize native apps for the top 3 OSes by your audience (commonly Android TV/Google TV, Roku, Samsung Tizen).
• If resources are limited, implement a progressive web app (PWA) validated for TV browsers, but plan native builds as soon as possible.
• Follow TV UX patterns: focus on 10-foot navigation, fewer taps, large visual assets, keyboard/remote-friendly focus states and accessible captions.
• Include contextual onboarding that explains login, profiles, and how to use a companion mobile app; reduce friction for first-time TV viewers.

2. Ship robust video player integrations

• Add offline/ad stitching capabilities: server-side ad insertion (SSAI) is table stakes for monetization and ad continuity across platforms.
• Support H.264 and H.265/HEVC, HDR10/10+, Dolby Vision where available, and multi-language audio tracks.
• Implement accurate manifesting (HLS/DASH), DRM, and CORS handling so platform app stores accept your builds without repeated rework.

3. Standardize metadata & identifiers

Why: Platforms and aggregators ingest metadata to power discovery; poor feeds mean low visibility.

• Provide a machine-readable metadata feed with canonical IDs (EIDR recommended for cataloged titles), title variant fields, synopsis variants (short/long), genres, tags, cast/crew lists, producer/publisher, release dates, content ratings, and localization variants.
• Include artwork at multiple sizes and aspect ratios with frame-accurate thumbnail options and frame timestamps.
• Publish schema.org/VideoObject and Open Graph tags on public pages to improve web-to-TV linking and social discovery.
• Offer platform-specific ingest formats (Roku feed, Samsung ingest API, LG channel spec) and a documented API endpoint for automated pulls.

180-day strategy: Partnerships and growth engineering

Use commercial and product levers to expand reach and optimize value per viewer.

1. Distribution partnerships

• Negotiate carriage in platform aggregator channels (e.g., Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels) and FAST marketplaces. Even limited carriage can unlock millions of impressions.
• Pursue OEM preloads with TV manufacturers or operator bundles (ISP, pay-TV) for guaranteed installs or homescreen tiles.
• Structure deals around placement and measurement: request guaranteed homescreen placement, featured tiles, and trial windows, and include clear KPIs for both discovery and monetization.

2. Ad and measurement integrations

• Integrate with major verification and measurement partners used by advertisers (Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings, Comscore CTV, Moat). Demonstrable measurability increases ad demand and CPMs.
• Adopt programmatic CTV standards (SCTE-35 markers, VAST/VPAID migration to VAST+OMID for viewability). Provide server-side ad insertion (SSAI) endpoints and pass-through ad IDs for attribution.
• Support privacy-forward identity solutions (hashed IDs, UID2, or industry-standard cookieless IDs) to preserve revenue while meeting evolving regulation.

3. Catalog & editorial strategies for TV

• Create TV-first editorial collections: curated playlists, channels, and miniseries that match living-room behavior (lean-back viewing, appointment viewing).
• Use A/B testing to optimize hero art, category names, and program sequence — TV audiences respond to different thumbnails and short copy than mobile users.
• Surface long-form content and binge-ready sequences; consider packaging short-form into hour-long compilations for TV consumption.

Metadata tactics that move the needle

Great metadata is discovery currency on TVs. Platforms rely on signals beyond raw popularity: freshness, genre signaling, cast affinity and editorial curation all influence algorithmic placement. Here’s how to optimize.

Metadata checklist

• Canonical ID: assign and publish a persistent content ID (EIDR when possible).
• Title variants: include a short title (<=30 chars) for tiles and a long title for detail pages.
• Multiple synopses: 30-character micro-copy, 120-character short, and 400-character long synopsis for different UI slots.
• Genre & mood tags: 3–6 taxonomy tags; match platform vocabularies if provided.
• Actors & creators: surface top-billed cast and director for affinity-based recs.
• Localization: supply translated titles, subtitles, dubbing availability and localized thumbnails.
• Image matrix: provide hero, tile, thumbnail, and background images in platform-required sizes and aspect ratios.
• Availability windows & rights: explicit start/end timestamps and geo-rights to prevent takedowns and to support promotional pushes.

Alternative second-screen and handoff tactics (when casting isn’t available)

Don’t discard mobile as a companion — redesign the second-screen role. Alternatives to relying on native casting include:

• QR-to-launch: show a QR code on TV that opens the app store page or deep-links the native app to the specific content. This has become a high-conversion flow in 2025–26 pilots.
• Remote pairing links: implement a short numeric code or URL on the TV that pairs the mobile session with the TV app (similar to device activation flows used by streaming platforms).
• Companion apps: build a companion mobile app that offers synchronized controls, playlists, and a click-to-launch button that opens the native TV app via platform deep links.
• Universal App Links & App Clips: use Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android) to send users into the TV app flows when the platform supports URL-based launching.

Commercial playbook: negotiation levers and measurement

When you engage platform partners, use these levers to capture value:

• Homescreen placement: trade exclusive early access or marketing funds for featured tiles during launch windows.
• Trial windows / preloads: negotiate pre-installed apps or time-limited promoted placement in return for favorable revenue shares.
• Data and measurement: insist on shared measurement data — impression logs, completion rates, and device counts — to optimize campaigns and upsell advertisers.
• Revenue models: be flexible: SVOD, AVOD, hybrid, and FAST each have different commercial norms. Consider revenue floors, CPM guarantees, and minimum-distribution commitments when signing aggregator deals.

Operational tips: engineering, ops and legal

Make it easy for engineering and rights teams to operate at TV scale.

• Automate feeds: deploy a metadata CMS that can auto-generate platform feeds and versioned artwork bundles for each OS and aggregator.
• Rights automation: attach geographic and time-based constraints at the asset level so platform feeds automatically reflect legal windows.
• CI/CD for TV apps: setup automated builds, platform-specific testing rigs (emulators + device farms), and a release cadence aligned to platform store review times.
• Security & privacy: ensure PII handling, authentication flows, and compliance with regional regulations (GDPR, CCPA updates) — platforms increasingly require privacy attestations.

Case examples & 2026 trends to watch

Two illustrative trends at the start of 2026 show where publishers should focus:

• Platform-first consolidation: Broadcasters and large studios now treat platform distribution equally, reorganizing teams to manage multi-platform portfolios — a development reflected in restructurings like those announced by major broadcasters in early 2026. That means aggregated placement and negotiated bundles are increasingly available to partners who can offer clean metadata and measurement.
• FAST & aggregator growth: Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels continue to expand across OEM app stores and platform channels. Getting your content into FAST lineups can act as a high-reach acquisition channel, but it requires the metadata, ad readiness and editorial collections described above.

Measurement and iteration: how to know you’re winning

Define clear KPIs and instrument them in advance. Common success metrics for TV distribution:

• Installs / activations (for native apps)
• Impressions and tile CTR on homescreen placement
• Average view time per session and completion rate
• Ad RPM / CPM and fill rate (for AVOD / FAST)
• Subscription conversion and retention (for SVOD)
• Revenue per device and ARPU by platform

Use a cadence of weekly discovery tests (thumbnails, category names), monthly commercial reviews with partners, and quarterly product sprints to ship new placements or monetization features.

Checklist: 12 items to implement this quarter

1. Run a TV traffic and monetization audit (30 days).
2. Publish a canonical metadata API with EIDR/IDs and localized descriptions.
3. Bundle artwork in all platform sizes and provide frame-accurate thumbnails.
4. Ensure video manifests support SSAI, DRM and required codecs.
5. Build or repurpose a 10-foot native app for your highest-value platform.
6. Integrate measurement tags required by your ad partners (Nielsen/Comscore compatibility).
7. Design companion mobile flows (QR pairing, numeric codes) to replace casting handoffs.
8. Negotiate at least one FAST or aggregator placement with clear homescreen exposure.
9. Implement programmatic ad standards and SCTE-35 markers for ad insertion.
10. Run A/B tests on TV hero art and short copy; iterate weekly for 6 weeks.
11. Automate rights gating for platform feeds to avoid expired content appearing on TV apps.
12. Establish a 90-day roadmap for additional platform builds (tvOS, Amazon Fire TV, etc.).

Risks and how to mitigate them

Shifting distribution requires investment. Manage risk with these mitigations:

• Cost: offset app development with revenue-sharing deals and aggregator placements; start with a single platform pilot.
• Complexity: centralize metadata management and automate platform-specific transforms to reduce ongoing ops burden.
• Measurement gaps: insist on partner data access and validate with independent measurement tags before committing to largescale promotions.
• Rights exposure: automate rights controls and double-check geo-blocking behavior in each platform testing phase.

Final notes: the strategic opportunity

Casting’s decline removes a passive route to the living room, but it also raises the barrier-to-entry in a way that benefits organized, metadata-driven publishers. Platforms want reliable, measurable partners who can deliver clean feeds, ad-ready streams, and native experiences. By treating smart TV distribution as a first-class product — not an afterthought — you can capture curated placement, higher CPMs, and long-term audience loyalty on the big screen.

Actionable takeaway

Start today: run the 30-day audit, publish a canonical metadata feed, and scope a native app pilot for your top smart TV platform. If you can prove homescreen placement and measurability, you’ll win better distribution terms and sustainable growth in 2026.

Call to action

Use the checklist above as your roadmap this quarter. Audit your smart TV distribution plan, prioritize one pilot platform, and run a metadata-to-placement experiment. Subscribe to our Creator Tools & Syndication brief at press24.news for monthly playbooks and templates, or contact your platform partner today to request a metadata ingest and trial placement.

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