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Sonos developing new ‘Home Theater OS,’ could it be an Apple TV/tvOS competitor?

Last month we saw Sonos launch an updated version of its Roam portable speaker and the company’s CEO also teased in an interview that it is “working on some really exciting stuff.” Now new open positions at Sonos are looking for help building a “Next Generation Sonos Home Theater OS” and more.

One of the expected products in the works at Sonos is the company’s first pair of headphones. However, it looks like that’s not the only exciting potential release coming down the line.

Reported by Ars Technica, open roles like “Principal Platform Product Manager,” “Head of Partnerships, Home Theatre,” and “UX Lead—Next Generation Home Theater Experience” at Sonos have revealed some of its ambitions.

For home theater-focused speakers, Sonos currently has its flagship Arc soundbar, the smaller Beam, the wireless Sub, and other speakers that can be added to create a full surround experience.

And now Sonos is ready to expand beyond just its audio focus when it comes to home theater. For instance, expectations for the “Head of Partnerships, Home Theatre” role include:

  • Background in digital media and/or media/application distribution platforms & technologies
  • Track record of successfully managing high profile product and business partnerships
  • Working knowledge of platform monetization technologies (AdTech, billing, audience measurement, etc.)

Those details paint a picture of an Apple TV/tvOS or Roku-type competitor where you could access a range of content from various platforms more than just a limited port of Sonos’ existing app for controlling speakers and playing audio to TV screens.

And in the UX Lead – Next Generation Home Theater Experience role, Sonos mentions a “HW remote” something it doesn’t currently offer and something which would be important for a tvOS competitor.

Time will tell how all these home theater plans will manifest – an app to work through other set-top boxes? A Sonos branded box? Integrated into Sonos speakers? But it looks like the efforts could definitely be a part of what Sonos CEO Patrick Spence considers to be “really exciting stuff.”

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.


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