Proprietary TV OSes Gatekeep Apps

Amazon’s new Fire TV models run a non‑Android Vega OS that prevents sideloading and limits installs to the Amazon Appstore, effectively forcing users and independent developers to go through Amazon’s gate. If other device makers follow, streaming hardware will become a curated app walled garden rather than an open platform. — This shift reshapes digital control over what apps and services consumers can run on home media devices, with consequences for competition, user autonomy, and content moderation.