How to Build a Smart TV App: The 7 Best Solutions for 2025

Smart TV apps have become an integral part of modern entertainment. With millions of users now relying on apps to stream content, access services, and control their TVs, creating an innovative and reliable Smart TV app is more important than ever. Whether you are an app developer, a startup, or a brand looking to tap into the growing Smart TV market, knowing the best solutions for building your app is crucial.

As we head into 2025, the landscape for Smart TV apps continues to evolve. Advanced features, greater functionality, and improved interfaces are reshaping how users interact with their TVs. In this article, we will cover seven top solutions that are making waves in Smart TV app development and how you can use them to build the best app for your users.

1. React Native for TV

React Native is one of the leading frameworks for building mobile applications, but its extension to Smart TV app development has taken things to the next level. React Native for TV allows developers to write a single codebase that can work across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and various Smart TVs like Samsung, LG, and Android TV. This flexibility allows you to save time and resources while offering a robust, scalable app.

Why Choose React Native for TV?

• Cross-platform support: Write once and deploy across multiple platforms. React Native’s component-based architecture means you won’t need to rewrite the entire app for each platform.
• Community support: React Native has a massive developer community, meaning you’ll find plenty of resources, plugins, and libraries for Smart TV development.
• Performance: React Native for TV offers excellent performance with optimized rendering and faster load times.

Use Cases:

• Video streaming apps
• Social media apps for TV
• Live broadcasting platforms

2. Tizen SDK (for Samsung Smart TVs)

Samsung Smart TVs run on the Tizen operating system, which comes with its own development environment and tools. The Tizen SDK allows developers to create apps that integrate well with the unique features of Samsung TVs, such as voice control, Smart Hub, and the Samsung app store.

Why Choose Tizen SDK?

• Native performance: Developing with Tizen allows for highly optimized performance on Samsung TVs.
• Access to Samsung's ecosystem: You can integrate your app seamlessly into Samsung’s extensive ecosystem, from the Smart Hub interface to the remote control and voice commands.
• Rich media capabilities: Tizen provides robust media playback support, including high-quality video rendering and streaming features.

Use Cases:

• On-demand video services
• Music streaming apps
• Fitness or health-related applications

3. Android TV SDK

Android TV is another popular operating system that powers a wide range of Smart TVs from brands like Sony, Nvidia, and Sharp. Android TV SDK gives you access to a robust toolkit for developing apps tailored to this platform. The SDK is built on top of the Android operating system, which allows you to reuse your existing knowledge of Android app development.

Why Choose Android TV SDK?

• Large user base: Android TV is installed on millions of devices globally, making it a prime target for app developers.
• Google Play integration: With Android TV, you can distribute your app directly to Google Play, reaching millions of potential users.
• Rich features and tools: Android TV provides excellent support for content discovery, media playback, and integration with Google services like Assistant and Chromecast.

Use Cases:

• Live TV streaming apps
• News and sports apps
• Gaming apps

4. Apple TV (tvOS)

Apple TV’s tvOS has a growing user base, especially among those who already own iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices. The tvOS SDK is based on the iOS framework, so developers familiar with iOS development will find it relatively easy to transition to Apple TV app creation.

Why Choose tvOS?

• Unified ecosystem: Apple offers a highly integrated environment, where your app can seamlessly interact with other Apple devices. If users have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, your app can sync across all platforms.
• High-quality user interface: Apple TV apps tend to have a polished, intuitive interface. Apple’s design guidelines help you create apps that are consistent with the Apple ecosystem.
• App Store access: Apple TV apps can be easily distributed via the App Store, reaching millions of potential customers.

Use Cases:

• Streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu
• Interactive games
• Fitness and wellness apps

5. Roku SDK

Roku has become one of the leading platforms in the streaming world, offering a simple and affordable way for users to access their favorite content. Roku’s developer tools provide everything you need to build a powerful app for the platform, from the user interface to video streaming capabilities.

Why Choose Roku SDK?

• Low entry cost: Roku’s developer tools are free to use, and the platform’s hardware is affordable, making it an attractive option for both new developers and established businesses.
• User-friendly interface: Roku’s simple, intuitive interface makes it easy for users to find and use apps, which translates to higher engagement for developers.
• Monetization options: Roku offers monetization opportunities through ads and subscriptions, providing you with flexible options for generating revenue.

Use Cases:

• Ad-supported video content
• Subscription-based streaming services
• News and educational apps

6. WebOS SDK (for LG Smart TVs)

WebOS is LG’s proprietary Smart TV platform, and it offers a comprehensive development environment for creating apps tailored specifically to LG TVs. With WebOS SDK, developers can build powerful, high-performance apps with the flexibility to access both native features and web technologies.

Why Choose WebOS SDK?

• Great media support: WebOS offers solid tools for video and audio streaming, making it a great platform for media apps.
• Cross-platform capabilities: WebOS supports apps built with HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS, making it easier to repurpose existing web applications.
• Voice control and AI integration: WebOS integrates well with LG’s AI-based ThinQ platform, enabling your app to use voice commands and machine learning features.

Use Cases:

• Video streaming apps
• Gaming apps
• Virtual assistant apps

7. Flutter for TV

Flutter, Google’s open-source UI toolkit, has made a big impact in mobile app development, and it’s also gaining traction in Smart TV app development. With the Flutter for TV plugin, developers can create cross-platform apps for Android TV and other platforms while leveraging Flutter’s highly customizable widgets and tools.

Why Choose Flutter for TV?

• Single codebase: Flutter allows developers to use a single codebase for multiple platforms, reducing development time and effort.
• High performance: Flutter’s rendering engine is optimized for fast, smooth animations and transitions, which is especially important for TV apps.
• Open-source and community-driven: With a growing developer community, Flutter continues to expand its feature set, providing ongoing improvements and plugins for Smart TV app development.

Use Cases:

• Interactive streaming apps
• News apps
• Music and podcast apps

Conclusion

Building a Smart TV app for 2025 requires a blend of innovation, technical expertise, and strategic thinking. Each platform offers unique tools, libraries, and performance capabilities that can help you create the app of your dreams. Whether you are targeting Samsung, LG, Roku, Android TV, Apple TV, or a cross-platform solution like React Native or Flutter, the key is to choose the right framework and SDK based on your target audience, your app's features, and your development resources.

The seven solutions discussed above are among the best available for 2025, and with careful planning, you can leverage these technologies to create apps that stand out in the competitive Smart TV landscape. By focusing on user needs, performance, and compatibility, you can ensure that your app is ready for the future of TV viewing.