Google was ahead of the curve when it launched Android TV in 2014. Instead of just presenting users with a list of streaming-app icons, Android TV’s big idea involved a row of recommendations from across different apps. The hope was that users wouldn’t have to leave the home screen to find something to watch.

But being first isn’t the same as being best, and over the past few years, other platforms such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku have all done a better job with cross-app recommendations. Meanwhile, Android TV’s approach didn’t get much buy-in from app makers, and the platform as a whole seemed to stagnate.

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