- Sonos has reportedly chosen ad-focused software for its streaming box
- Pricing is rumored to be between $150 and $200
- I've got a bad feeling about this
Sometimes it's hard not to respond to news stories with an exasperated sigh of "oh for goodness sake, what NOW?" And it's definitely felt like that with Sonos this year after a year full of app issues – issues so damaging to the brand that they depth-charged the launch of the Sonos Ace headphones. And now it looks like there could be more bad news on the horizon.
According to The Verge, Sonos has found the operating system for its forthcoming video streamer – a product designed, like the Apple TV 4K, Roku Ultra or Fire TV Stick 4K, to deliver the best streaming services. And that OS is coming from an advertising company.
Given Sonos's positioning as a premium brand, that suggests we could be seeing the worst of both worlds: the relatively high price of an Apple TV 4K, and the ads and audience tracking of a Fire TV.
What's the deal with Sonos's streaming OS?
Given that all of Sonos's 2024 woes have come from its software, this seems like a strange decision. Bringing in reliable outside tech instead of doing the development in-house does make some sense given the furore around this year's Sonos app update. But going with an unproven OS from an ad company doesn't seem like the safest way to reassure customers that lessons have been learned – do we think people will actually trust a new software platform from Sonos when they hated the launch of the last software platform from Sonos so much.
The ad company is The Trade Desk, as previously predicted by the rumor we reported on back in September, whose OS is based on the open source fork of Android. The reason for The Trade Desk's involvement here is apparently due to its established relationships with the big streaming firms: a streaming device without the key streaming services is a streaming device that won't sell.
With our optimistic hat on, this deal could mean new cool things for your Sonos system, with new wireless streaming options from your TV to your Sonos Arc Ultra and more of the best Sonos speakers. You'd probably also have the ability to play audio from your TV to your Sonos Ace headphones in Dolby Atmos without need a soundbar, as you do currently. Sonos has filed some patents suggesting just that, with TV OS control on a phone as well as on your TV screen, content recommendations from friends, and Apple SharePlay-style collaborative viewing.
Let's hope that's true and that the worst case scenario – annoying ads and privacy concerns, yet you're still paying a premium for the device – doesn't come instead. But as The Verge reports, The Trade Desk's sales pitch for its TV OS, Ventura, is heavy on the ad side of things and light on what benefits it brings for users. You can watch The Trade Desk's pitch in the embedded video above.
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