Image: Getty / John Rensten

Samsung has shipped smart TVs with its Tizen operating system since 2015, and is now licensing it out to other manufacturers.

Tizen, a Linux-based open-source operating system, hatched around 2012, was at one point a possible third contender on mobile to Android and iOS. At the time there was also plenty of alternative options, including Mozilla's Firefox OS, Jolla, BlackBerry OS, and Microsoft's Nokia-fueled ambitions for Windows Phone. But none caught on for smartphones. 

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Samsung smart TVs, however, have helped make Tizen more mainstream. Samsung said over 200 million people in 197 countries around the world are using Tizen OS through their Samsung smart TVs.

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New TVs from Bauhn, Linsar, Sunny, Vispera and other brands running Tizen will be available in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom this year, according to Samsung. 

The move will give consumers a "premium smart TV experience", Samsung said. 

The ODMs have adopted Tizen through Samsung's Tizen TV Platform Licensing program, which it announced at the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) last year. Tizen enables smart features, content discovery tools, apps and a modern user interface for smart TVs. 

Samsung says the non-Samsung TVs will gain its streaming platform Samsung TV Plus, the Universe Guide for discovering streaming apps, and Samsung's voice assistant Bixby. 

The Tizen TV brands include Akai, Bauhn, Linsar (distributed by Tempo), RCA, Vispera (distributed by HKC), Sunny, and Axen (distributed by Atmaca).

"2022 has been a memorable year for Tizen OS as we celebrate its 10th anniversary and the very first Tizen-powered smart TVs available from other brands," said Yongjae Kim, executive vice president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics. 

"Starting with these new Tizen-powered smart TVs, we will continue to expand the licensing program and introduce Tizen OS and its ecosystem to more products and brands around the world."

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