"Big hero images highlighting select TV shows and movies, a row of app icons, a bunch of additional content recommendations: At first glance, Meta's new Horizon TV app looks a lot like the homescreen of your typical smart TV. Something Samsung, Google, or Amazon would ship on their devices. Except Horizon TV isn't running on a TV or streaming stick, but on the company's Meta Quest headsets. Unveiled at Meta Connect last month, the app is a big part of Meta's push to attract older, less gaming-focused audiences to VR - a push that also includes a partnership with James Cameron, and investments into sports, and other types of leanback entertainment content."
"Re-creating the smart TV experience in virtual reality also represents a monetization opportunity for Meta, which has for some time now tried to figure out how to bring advertising to VR. However, the approach also means that Meta is inheriting some of the very problems smart TV platform operators have struggled with for a long time. And if consumers do warm up to watching more content with their headsets, they're bound to realize that even in VR, you can't"
Horizon TV on Meta Quest replicates familiar smart TV homescreen elements like hero images, app icons, and recommendation rows inside a VR headset. The app aims to broaden the Quest audience by courting older, less gaming-focused viewers and pairs with investments in films, sports, and other leanback entertainment. Bringing a smart TV experience to VR opens advertising and monetization paths for Meta. The move also imports persistent smart TV issues such as app clutter, recommendation-driven discovery, ad intrusion, platform fragmentation, tracking and privacy concerns, and unresolved comfort and UX limits for extended viewing in headsets.
Read at The Verge
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