In a concerning reflection of a company’s finite resources, Sonos – the US-based audio technology stalwart – has shelved plans to launch a dedicated video streaming device.
The set top, codenamed Pinewood, was supposed to be similar in scope to Apple TV hardware, according to The Verge, and the cancellation of project Pinewood has irked Sonos’ adoring audiophile fans.
No one will be more cheesed off than The Trade Desk, which was due to be delivering its proprietary TV OS onto Sonos’ streaming hardware. Called Ventura, announced in Q4 last year, The Trade Desk’s pitch is that true innovation in the connected TV OS space can only be achieved by a company with no direct content ownership.
Faultline was skeptical of the launch at the time, saying that we do not believe there is sufficient demand from advertisers to convince a sufficient share of OEMs to ship a Trade Desk TV OS.
And now with Sonos abandoning its Ventura-based streaming plans, The Trade Desk has lost a customer before even officially announcing its first customer – ramming straight into a brick wall.
However, a Sonos spokesperson told The Verge that the relationship with The Trade Desk will continue in another capacity.
The problem with devices from Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, and Google is that they do not support wireless connectivity to Sonos speakers and soundbars. A dedicated Sonos set top would have solved this, as the gateway between the TV screen and audio bliss.
Sonos fans have been waiting years for the new product, enthused by the potential for different sound configurations.
Getting Apple and co. to support wireless connectivity to third-party speakers would be the easiest salve, but that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. It would be a nice sales differentiator for one of the major video streaming device makers, if they were to jump into bed with Sonos, but the reality of getting that done is murky, and is exactly why Sonos attempted to go it alone.
That was until the company presumably ran out of money, or perhaps after months of beta trials it found that the appetite for a Sonos-branded streamer was not great enough to go toe-to-toe with the big boys in a fiercely competitive market.
Big Tech has been pressuring companies like Sonos in the home audio marketplace, and the potential expansion into TV was seen as good opportunity to fight back.
While Sonos competes with Google, the search giant has also been an important partner for years, including bringing the Google Assistant to the Sonos platform back in 2019. However, in 2020, the relationship took a turn, as Sonos accused Google of blatantly copying its patented technology in creating audio products.
Sonos thought it had won the case against Google for $32.5 million in 2023. However, months later, a California federal judge threw out the case after new evidence emerged finding that the Sonos patents in question were unenforceable. Google has also countersued Sonos.
In reality, the addressable market of consumers which would actively replace their Apple TV device with a Sonos streaming set top is niche. This is a shame, because while everything with an Apple logo on it works well together, there are some great products on the market, like those from Sonos, which people want to mix with Apple products.
A walled garden too far, and ultimately Sonos’ retreat from video hardware is another reminder of how hard it is to play in Big Tech’s backyard.