How do streaming platforms get their names on tv remote controls?
Go ahead, and look down at your remote. See something familiar? More than likely, in addition to the standard volume plus and minus and number keypad, you have a few familiar names staring back at you: Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video?
While it may seem like good fortune to find the names of the streaming platforms you most frequently use waiting and ready in the palm of your hand – it’s not. It’s by design.
You might’ve heard that Netflix has previously paid $1 per Roku remote for the privilege of having their logo as a button on your remote, and Netflix isn’t alone.
You see, when a new streaming service enters the market and gains enough popularity and market share, it will approach remote control manufacturers to request that its name be included on their devices. The streaming service will usually provide the remote control manufacturer with the necessary branding and logo assets to ensure that its name appears correctly on the remote control.
Remote control manufacturers may also proactively seek out partnerships with popular streaming services to enhance the value of their products and appeal to consumers. In those cases, the remote control manufacturer and the streaming service will work together to integrate the service’s name and logo onto the remote control.
Once an agreement has been reached between the streaming service and the remote control manufacturer, the streaming service’s name will typically be included alongside other popular services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube, making it easy for users to access and navigate the content they want to watch.
The truth is that Netflix, and other streaming services, likely worked with several major electronics manufacturers, including Sony, LG, and Samsung, to ensure that its streaming service was included as a pre-installed app on their smart TVs and other devices.
It’s interesting to think about, especially in terms of who the next big streaming platform will be. Perhaps in the near future, we’ll know the new giant in streaming just by looking down at our remotes.
