It looks like wireless headphones won't be the only brand new product coming from Sonos in 2024: a new report says it'll be launching its own TV streaming box too. Sonos has previously said that it expects a significant chunk of its 2024/25 revenues to come from brand new product lines, and a TV streamer appears to be one of those devices. The new report says that Sonos will also upgrade many of its current products including speakers and soundbars.
According to Bloomberg, Sonos's streaming box is scheduled for a late 2024 release, although that could be put back into early 2025. It's running an Android-based operating system and will run apps, much like an Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire TV stick does. Sonos is reportedly in talks with Netflix and other big streaming providers, including cable companies delivering live television as well as on-demand streaming. Sonos may even launch its own video streaming service.
Does the world need another TV streamer?
This isn't Sonos's first streamer, although it's the first TV one: the Sonos Port is a £399 Wi-Fi music streamer that enables you to use multiple streaming services via the Sonos app and which connects to supported services including Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify and TIDAL. The new streaming box is expected to cost $200 or less.
There has been discussion about a TV streamer on the Sonos forums for some time, and the reception looks like it'll be a warm one: many Sonos users aren't too impressed by the Apple TV or Amazon's Fire TV options, and with Amazon reportedly upping the amount of ads you'll see on its streaming device there's clearly an opportunity here for a more high-end product.
There's more to this than just a move into TV. Sonos has previously said that it wants to make its products completely wireless, to the point where they wouldn't even have an HDMI: speaking to Digital Trends at the launch of the Era 100 and Era 300, CEO Patrick Spence said that "I don't want a wire to the soundbar at all". By making the TV hardware to connect to the audio equipment, Sonos can control the entire user experience – not to mention avoid issues such as the just-fixed "pop of death" with some Dolby Atmos streaming from third party devices.
Some of the issues Sonos will be dealing with might not be technical, though. For example, Apple's attempts to integrate everything into its Apple TV interface have been stymied a little bit by Netflix, which doesn't want its service integrated. It'll be interesting to see whether Netflix is warmer towards Sonos, which isn't currently a streaming competitor.
