Spotify Premium is available for more than 85% of the world’s smart TV brands (Samsung, LG, SONY, etc.), but some features are limited by hardware model and system version. Based on the data of 2023, Android TV (10.0 and higher) is most compatible with Tizen OS (6.5 and higher), client installation success rate is 98%, and the old models such as 2016 Hisense TV because of insufficient memory (RAM≤1GB) result in the playback lag rate to be 37%. For sound quality, Dolby Atmos-capable TVS like the Samsung QN900B can play 320kbps audio with frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz (dynamic range of 92dB) on Spotify Premium, but non-premium models like the Xiaomi EA series are limited by chip decoding strength. The bit rate output that actually plays back is reduced to 160kbps (loss of 63% of quality).
With regards to technical deployment, Spotify Premium on smart TVS has to be connected to the audio system via HDMI-ARC or Wi-Fi Direct, with a mean latency of 0.8 seconds (0.3 seconds on mobile). In 2024, Spotify partnered with Samsung to launch a “TV-only playlist” function (reaching 18% of TV consumers) that generates background music recommendations by applying AI analysis of viewers’ viewing patterns (e.g., Netflix viewing types) with 79% accuracy. Storage limitations on devices precluded offline downloads, and syncing playlists (on average) took 12 seconds (just 3 seconds on mobile). Spotify is used only by 23% of TV users to stream Music (versus YouTube Music 47%) due to, above all, the complexity of the interface (user rating 6.2/10) and inadequate usage of the remote control (58% fewer commands per minute on TV versus mobile).
Local regulations affect service availability. The EU’s Digital Markets Act, mandating third-party app stores to be opened on smart TVS, has led to a 29% increase in the number of Spotify Premium TVS installed in Europe in 2023 but only 7% pre-installed in emerging markets such as India (Samsung India TVS are prioritized with local app Gaana). Additionally, TV advertisement regulation varies: Free users view two video ads each hour (each 15 seconds long), while Premium users can skip ads but cannot block the placement of partner brands (for example, SONY TV boot recommendations include brand ads, which fire once per 24 hours).
Legal and copyright restrictions make technical challenges worse. In 2023, Disney + and similar streaming services pushed Spotify to bump up the TV-side API calls’ DRM level (Widevine L1 level), and as a result, TVS models prior to 2018 could not play licensed content due to the lack of a secure chip (TEE) (41% failure rate). User behavior analysis shows that the average playback length per month on the TV terminal is 6 hours (41 hours for the mobile terminal), the coincidence rate of the playback record of the multi-person shared account in the case of families is more than 30%, and the triggering probability of the risk control alarm is 1.2 times a month.
At cost vs. competition, TV R&D budget in Spotify Premium accounted for 9% of the entire year’s expenditure (around $108 million), while conversion rate is only 5% (22% on mobile). However, Apple Music, through native integration with Apple TV (40% enhanced decoding efficiency of A15 chip) and spatial audio feature (head tracking error <0.5 degrees), registered TV user satisfaction of 8.7/10. Eventually, even with restrictions in interaction and hardware, Spotify managed to get 35% of Premium users to use the TV feature under cross-device cooperation (such as remote playing on TV with your phone) and special content in podcasts (covering 94% of television programs), a rise of 17% compared to 2021.