The four ways TV apps make money
On phones, an app developer picks an ad SDK and a store billing library and is done. On Smart TVs, each platform gives you a different subset, and the TV is shared, operated with a remote and watched from three meters away. The business models are the familiar ones:
| Model | How it works on TV | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | Video interstitials at breaks, rewarded video, QR cards. You bring the ad source; no TV platform here offers third-party apps a self-serve ad SDK. | Mobile ad SDKs don't run in TV web apps; the TV must handle the video. |
| In-app purchases | Samsung Checkout on Tizen; Paymentwall or another approved billing option on LG. | Partner-level access on Samsung; contracts on LG; nothing public on Whale TV or Titan OS. |
| Subscriptions | Samsung Checkout supports them natively; elsewhere through your billing provider or your own account system. | Typing payment details with a remote is slow. Phone handoff by QR code helps. |
| Paid apps | A Paid App product type exists in Samsung's DPI portal. | Hard to sell an unknown game up front on a TV store. |
For a casual game, that usually leaves ads as the main income, with a small purchase or a "remove ads" option where the platform makes payments possible.
Why mobile ad SDKs don't work in TV web apps
Tizen, webOS, Whale TV and Titan OS apps are web apps. AdMob, Unity Ads and the other mobile ad SDKs are native libraries for Android and iOS apps, so there is nothing to load into a Tizen .wgt or a webOS app. The web options don't transfer cleanly either:
- Google IMA: Google's "other platforms" page doesn't offer self-serve support for TVs; it says to contact your account manager about Samsung (Tizen) and LG TV support.
- Google PAL has official guides for Tizen and LG webOS, but it is a nonce library for Google Ad Manager publishers, not an ad network.
- The platforms' own ad businesses (Samsung Ads, LG Ad Solutions, Titan's advertising) sell the platform's own inventory. LG says its Ads API is only for contracted partners. Whale TV is the exception, with an ad program for content partners.
Android TV is different: its apps are Android apps, so native Android ad SDKs are at least an option there. Check each SDK's own policy for TV apps.
What changed in 2026: the proxy SDK ban
For years the easiest money in TV apps came from residential proxy SDKs, with Bright Data's Bright SDK the best known. With the user's consent, the SDK turned the TV into an exit node for a proxy network and paid the developer for it. Spur's analysis found such SDKs in more than 42% of LG webOS apps and more than a quarter of Tizen apps.
Then the platforms closed it:
- LG, July 21, 2026: apps that don't remove a residential proxy option "will be suspended."
- Samsung, early August 2026: new registrations with proxy functions restricted, a platform-wide policy banning residential proxy SDKs, and existing apps being removed.
- Google, Amazon and Roku had already restricted background proxy SDKs, according to The Hacker News.
That leaves a lot of TV developers, many of them game developers, replacing a revenue line. Our guide to Bright SDK alternatives walks through the options.
Monetization by platform
| Platform | App type | Ads for third-party apps | In-app payments | Advertising ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Tizen | Packaged (.wgt); hosted only by exception | Bring your own; no Samsung program | Samsung Checkout (partner level) | TIFA + Limit Ad Tracking |
| LG webOS | Packaged (IPK) or hosted | Bring your own; Ads API for contracted partners only | Paymentwall (LG billing discontinued) | None public; LGUDID is a device ID |
| Whale TV | Hosted HTML5 | Whale ad program, three revenue models | Nothing public found | WAID (in ad macros) |
| Titan OS | Hosted HTML5 or HbbTV | Bring your own; no public program | Nothing public found | WhaleAdID / ifa in the Titan SDK |
- Tizen monetization
Packaged web apps, Samsung Checkout for IAP, TIFA as advertising ID. Public Sellers can launch only in the US.
- LG webOS monetization
No public LG ads API, LG billing discontinued in favor of Paymentwall, LGUDID needs user agreement.
- Whale TV monetization
Hosted HTML5 apps on 400+ TV brands, an ad program with three revenue models, WAID in ad macros.
- Titan OS monetization
Hosted HTML5 apps on Philips and AOC TVs in Europe, 2 to 4 weeks of QA, an advertising ID in the Titan SDK.
VIDAA and Android TV
VIDAA (Hisense and Toshiba TVs) also runs HTML5 web apps, with onboarding through VIDAA's content partner program. Its public partner pages were offline when we checked in October 2026, and we found no public payment, advertising or advertising ID documentation for third-party apps. Android TV apps are Android apps, so they have Google Play billing and native Android ad SDKs to choose from.
Ad formats that work with a remote
Nobody clicks a banner from the sofa. Formats that work on TV respect the remote and the pause:
- Interstitial video at natural breaks: between levels, after a game over, never mid-action.
- Rewarded video: the player chooses to watch for an extra life, a continue or double coins. It is the format players resent least, because they asked for it. See rewarded ads for Smart TV games.
- QR codes: the phone is the TV's click. A QR card hands the viewer a next step on their phone, and scan-to-reward grants the reward on the scan instead of after a video. See QR code ads on TV.
Whatever the format: one focused button, OK and BACK always work, a visible "Ad" label, and a hard timeout so a broken ad never freezes the game.
Compliance checklist
- app-ads.txt on the developer domain in your store listing, with a line for every ad seller. app-ads.txt for Samsung and LG TV apps.
- sellers.json and schain from every network you work with, so buyers can trace the inventory back to you.
- Consent: in the EU, consent (for example through IAB TCF) before using device identifiers.
- Advertising IDs: respect Limit Ad Tracking, ask before using device IDs, offer a reset. TIFA, LGUDID and WAID compared.
- No proxy or bandwidth SDKs on LG and Samsung.
Guides
- Bright SDK alternatives after the LG and Samsung ban
What the 2026 residential proxy SDK ban means for TV apps, and compliant ways to replace that income.
- Rewarded ads for Smart TV games
Where to place rewarded video in a TV game, remote and BACK key handling, reward rules and code.
- QR code ads on TV: scan-to-reward
How QR ads work in TV games and apps, QR size and quiet zone at 1080p, and honest scan-rate expectations.
- app-ads.txt for Samsung and LG TV apps
Developer URLs, store ID formats, crawler gaps on LG, sellers.json and how to check it works.
- TIFA, LGUDID and WAID: advertising IDs on Smart TVs
How to read each platform's ID, Limit Ad Tracking, consent in the EU and fallback install IDs.
- TV in-app purchases: Samsung Checkout vs Paymentwall
Selling items and subscriptions on Tizen and webOS, remote-friendly checkout, and mixing IAP with ads.
Early access
Where SofAds fits
We make Smart TV games ourselves and built SofAds because none of the above gave us an ad SDK that works on all four platforms. It is one script, with ad decisioning on our server, interstitial, rewarded and scan-to-reward QR formats, and free usage analytics. It is not live for outside publishers yet: we onboard them by hand, and we will show real numbers once we have them.
SofAds.init({
appId: "sof_YOUR_APP_ID",
onPause: () => game.pause(), // stop your render loop before video
onResume: () => game.resume(),
});
// At a natural break: the call always settles, the game just continues.
async function onLevelComplete() {
await SofAds.showInterstitial({ placement: "level_break" });
startNextLevel();
}
// The player chose to watch for a reward. onReward fires at most once;
// addCoins is your own function.
function onExtraLifeButton() {
SofAds.showRewarded({
placement: "extra_life",
onReward: (reward) => addCoins(reward.amount),
});
}SofAds for publishers explains the setup, from app ID to app-ads.txt. The integration docs have the per-platform files: Samsung Tizen setup, LG webOS setup, Whale TV setup and Titan OS setup, plus test ads.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make money from a Smart TV app?
Yes, through ads, in-app purchases, subscriptions or paid apps, but each TV platform supports a different subset. Samsung has its own payment system; LG relies on Paymentwall; none of Tizen, webOS or Titan OS offers third-party apps a public ad network, so ads come from an outside ad source or SDK.
Is AdMob available for Samsung or LG TV apps?
No. AdMob's SDKs are native libraries for Android and iOS apps, and Samsung Tizen and LG webOS TV apps are web apps. On Android TV, which runs Android apps, native Android ad SDKs are an option.
Which TV platforms allow ads in third-party apps?
All four platforms covered here let apps show ads; what differs is whether the platform helps. Whale TV runs an ad program for content partners. Samsung, LG and Titan OS sell their own ad inventory but offer no public ad program for third-party apps, so developers bring their own ad source.
Are proxy SDKs like Bright SDK still allowed on Smart TVs?
Not on LG or Samsung. LG said in July 2026 that apps keeping a residential proxy option will be suspended, and Samsung said in August 2026 that it is banning residential proxy SDKs and removing existing apps.
Do ads or in-app purchases earn more on TV?
It depends on the app, and no platform publishes comparable numbers. Payments with a remote are slow and need platform support that is partner-only on Samsung and contract-based on LG, so most casual games rely on ads, with an optional purchase where the platform allows it.
Sources
Checked on October 7, 2026. Platform rules change; when a source and this page disagree, the source wins.
- Google IMA SDK: Other platforms
- Google PAL: Get started on Samsung Tizen
- Google PAL: Get started on LG webOS
- Samsung Ads: advertising on Samsung TV Plus
- LG Ad Solutions: CTV and home screen inventory factsheet
- LG webOS TV forum: Programmatic advertisement on an LG TV app (Jan 2024)
- Whale TV Partner Portal: Advertising
- Samsung TV Seller Office: Becoming a partner
- LG webOS TV Developer: In-app purchase
- Samsung Developers: Samsung Checkout DPI portal
- KrebsOnSecurity: LG to ban residential proxies from smart TV apps (Jul 2026)
- PPC Land: Samsung bans proxy SDKs (Aug 2026)
- The Hacker News: Free apps are quietly turning smart TVs into proxies (Jun 2026)
- Spur: Smart TV apps and residential proxy SDKs