Why did I create a WTV Android TV app when there’s an official app? Good question, I’m glad you asked.
In 2023 I had a good look around and was unable to find any WTV app for Android TV. I started a proof of concept, but because I wanted to do it “properly” with WTV login for accessing on-demand content, I quickly ran into trouble and gave up (and due to time constraints).
A few months ago, I picked the project up again but lowered the bar by only supporting live stream which is the most important use case for me anyway.
However, I made the mistake of not properly scouting the current ecosystem. I did so in 2023, but this time I only checked WTV’s website and the app store. Nothing to be found for Android TV, so I thought everything stayed the same (I figured they wound’t have the budget or something). But later, when I searched the play store for my app on an Android TV itself for testing, I discovered there does exist an official app now! When I check the Play store metadata, it does indeed mention a publication date of Sep 27, 2023. Although, badly advertised, if I may say so 🙊 In March 2025:
- The app was not mentioned on the website.
- The mobile app can not be installed on TV.
- The mobile app listing does not mention the TV app listing.
Nowadays, you can search the play store for a different type of device than the one you are currently operating. That way you can find the TV app more easily, but I forgot to check that and I also guess a lot of people don’t know about this. At the very least, nobody expects that an app that cannot be installed on Android TV, still has a TV sibling app (under a different app id). There is no technical reason (at least not today), so I still think they should at least “merge” the listings. It would boost visibility of the TV app in a huge way while making it much easier to install from a different device (browser or mobile/tablet).
In the meantime, I noticed they updated the website to include a “Smart TV” button. On the live stream, they also started to advertise the TV app. So it seems progress is being made. 😊
Given how I already had a working app and found my app a little more snappy, I decided to go ahead anyway. I also like to use it on my tablet. Before, I had good hope that my app would survive as there was no alternative. Given there is already an official app now, I can only hope the RMM (the company behind WTV) will allow my app to exist. If something would be non-compliant, I’m happy to make any required changes though.
If anything, it was a fun experiment trying to use flutter on Android TV!