Android TV has undergone an interesting shift over the past few years. It started off as just an OS for third-party streaming devices (such as the Nexus Player and Nvidia Shield), but it has seen a resurgence over the past few years as a platform for TV providers to use in their cable boxes. As of today, Android TV is now in use by "over 160" television providers.

"With the launch of AT&T TV nationwide in the U.S. today, there are now over 160 TV providers making new experiences that let you do all your watching—and more—in one place," Google wrote in a blog post.

The last time Google provided firm numbers on Android TV's growth was in late 2018, when the company said that the platform had "tens of millions" of active users and over 100 TV operator partners. In other words, 60 new partners have adopted Android TV over the past year. Some of the new partners since then include AT&T TV, Verizon, and TiVo.

While it's great to see Android TV become the platform of choice for cable boxes, it's disappointing that there are still so few streaming devices with the OS — the Nvidia Shield and Mi Box are still the only mainstream options in the United States.

Source: Google Blog