Android TV App Development
Android TV and Google TV power a huge range of smart TVs and set-top boxes worldwide — Sony, TCL, Hisense, Nvidia Shield, and countless operator boxes. Apps are built natively in Kotlin with the Leanback/Jetpack libraries, ExoPlayer for playback, and Widevine for DRM, and the platform has its own certification, Google Play billing, and content-recommendation surfaces to integrate.
Apexnova builds native Android TV and Google TV apps in Kotlin — ExoPlayer playback, Widevine DRM, Google Play billing or your own, and recommendation-channel integration — as part of an OTT platform delivered production-ready in 30 days and published to Google Play.
What a production Android TV app actually needs
Native Kotlin with Leanback/Jetpack. Built with the Android TV SDK and the Leanback/Jetpack Compose for TV libraries for D-pad navigation and the 10-foot UI — native, not a stretched phone app.
ExoPlayer and Widevine DRM. Media3/ExoPlayer for reliable adaptive playback and Widevine for protected content, tuned across the wide range of Android TV hardware from budget boxes to flagship TVs.
Google TV recommendation surfaces. Watch Next and recommendation-channel integration so your content appears on the Google TV home screen — a major discovery driver you don't get for free.
Billing and certification. Google Play billing for subscriptions and purchases, or your own entitlements, built to Play's TV certification requirements — SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, and FAST all supported.
One platform, every screen
Android TV is one screen in a platform that spans web, mobile, and every connected TV. We build the shared backend, catalog, and entitlements once, then ship native apps per device.
| Platform | Built natively | Shared backend |
|---|---|---|
| Android TV / Google TV | Android / Kotlin | Yes |
| Roku | BrightScript / SceneGraph | Yes |
| Fire TV | Fire OS / Vega OS | Yes |
| Apple TV | Swift / tvOS | Yes |
| Samsung / LG | Tizen / webOS | Yes |
What you get
A native, Play-ready Android TV and Google TV app — Kotlin with ExoPlayer, Widevine DRM, Google Play billing or custom entitlements, recommendation-channel integration, and shared backend and analytics with the rest of your platform. Delivered in 30 days as part of your OTT build.
Frequently asked questions
How are Android TV apps built?
Android TV and Google TV apps are built natively in Kotlin using the Leanback/Jetpack for TV libraries, ExoPlayer for playback, and Widevine for DRM. They're published to Google Play under its TV certification. Apexnova builds native Android TV apps as part of an OTT platform delivered in 30 days.
What's the difference between Android TV and Google TV?
Google TV is Google's newer interface layered on top of the Android TV platform, with richer content discovery and recommendation surfaces. Apps built for Android TV run on Google TV devices; we integrate the Google TV recommendation channels so your content surfaces on the home screen.
How do I monetize an Android TV app?
You can use Google Play billing for subscriptions and purchases, or your own billing and entitlements. We support SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, and FAST on Android TV, wired to the same backend as your other apps.
Which devices does an Android TV app run on?
One Android TV build runs across the broad Android TV/Google TV ecosystem — Sony, TCL, Hisense, and other smart TVs, Nvidia Shield, and many operator set-top boxes. We test and tune across budget and flagship hardware.
Ship your Android TV app
Tell us your catalog, monetization model, and which other devices you need, and we'll return a fixed-scope quote with a 30-day plan — a native Android TV and Google TV app plus the platform behind it.