It seems like Sonos is looking to branch out a little, judging from recent job listings discovered by Protocol. The positions available strongly suggest that Sonos wants to expand its audio offerings to the home theatre space.
The positions, listed on the company’s job portal, include ‘Head of Partnerships, Home Theatre” and “UX Lead- Next Generation Home Theater Experience” as well as a position for a “Principal Platform Product Manager”. That last one isn’t as specific as the other two but it does list “working knowledge of home theatre technologies and protocols” and “experience in home theatre or home entertainment domain” as preferred qualifications.
Do Roku and Google need to watch their backs?
What will this new home theatre project look like? Sonos already makes some of the best mid-range audio products. We’re especially fond of the Sonos Roam. So fond that we awarded it Speaker of the Year in 2021.
Sonos already has the hardware part of this project down. Many customers already use their Sonos products in their home theatre setups but need to either use their smartphones in conjunction with the app or their TV remotes. There is no dedicated software solution from Sonos… yet.
Roku currently holds the unofficial crown as the most popular smart TV OS. Sonos could be looking to snatch that with its own smart TV OS. This would be a very bold approach from the company. It might also be out of character, given how it’s dragging its feet on producing headphones.
Alternatively, it could stick to what it knows and just bring out a new soundbar with a simple integrated OS that could launch the streaming service of your choice. But that doesn’t account for the hiring spree. Unfortunately, all we have is speculation at present. Actual info is very thin but this is something we’re keeping a close eye on.
Source: Ars Technica