What you need to know
- Sonos appears to be dabbling in TV streaming with a couple of new recruitment efforts.
- The company is looking for people with experience in streaming media.
- A Sonos executive confirmed that it is developing a new home theater project.
Sonos makes some of the best soundbars on the market, but it appears the company is branching out into video streaming. Protocol reports that the company is looking to fill a variety of new positions in its home theater project.
The latest round of recruitment marks Sonos' growing effort in the TV streaming business. According to a recent Fortune Business Insights report, the video streaming market will be worth $932.29 billion by 2028.
Sonos is dabbling in this growing segment with a new "home theater OS" project. In a LinkedIn post, Sonos Chief Innovation Officer Nick Millington confirmed that he is working on the project and is looking for an executive with streaming media experience.
One job posting is for a head of partnerships with a focus on home theater. That person "will play a pivotal role in connecting users to the content and services they love with [the] Sonos quality experiences they’ve come to expect."
Sonos is also looking for a UX lead to oversee its next-generation home theater experience. Applicants must have multiple years of experience "designing UX for consumer-facing products across mobile (both iOS and Android) and/or TV that have successfully shipped." This role entails working "across device surfaces (mobile, television, tablet, and HW remote) to deliver a next-generation content delivery experience."
Another job listing is for a principal platform product manager. The role requires someone with experience in platform or OS product management, among other requirements, in order to "develop and evolve an OS and media platform roadmap."
Sonos' current focus is on soundbars and smart speakers that customers can control with a standard TV remote, a mobile device, or digital assistants like the Sonos Beam.
The new effort could signify a shift in strategy for Sonos, which explored the idea of turning soundbars into media players that could run TV apps, according to Protocol. It also tried to partner with TV manufacturers several years ago to integrate its speakers into TVs.
