Remember those old-school carriage wars? Not the ones where horse-drawn carriages battled it out for passengers. The ones that saw cable and satellite companies battling it out with TV Networks and Studios for rights to distribute content. We've got a new set of carriage wars going on right now, and it's just as confusing.

Instead of cables and satellites, we're talking about TV operating systems (TVOS). Think Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung. LG, Vizio and the like. These platforms are the new battleground for content distribution.

It's like trying to find your favorite show on a maze of streaming services. You've got to navigate through different apps, subscriptions, and platforms just to catch your favorite show. And don't even get me started on advertising. Trying to reach your target audience feels like trying to hit a moving target in a hurricane.

Here's the breakdown:

• Platform Power: These TVOS companies are fighting for control over how we watch TV.
• App Store Drama: Content creators must play by the rules of these platform's app stores, which can make or break their visibility.
• Data Game: TVOS providers are collecting tons of data on what we watch. They use this to negotiate better deals or even create their own shows.

So, what does it all mean? For advertisers the big opportunity is with the user interface. The home screen will become a viewer’s personalized billboard, where we can serve them ads on the content OR products that they are searching for AND enable them to watch or purchase with the click of a remote. For consumers we are, hopefully, getting to a more unified viewing experience where ALL of the services they subscribe to are on one personalized GUIDE, no need to go in and out of apps to watch shows, we’ll know who they are and curate the viewing experience to match them.

So, while the industry continues to fight over bundles and carriage fees, I’m betting on the operating systems to create a more cohesive experience for all.