Tizen, a Linux-based operating system developed by Samsung Electronics Co., was the top smart TV streaming platform last year, a report showed Wednesday, thanks to its status as the world's largest TV vendor.

Tizen accounted for 12.7 percent of global connected TV devices in use in 2020, up from 11.6 percent a year earlier, after the number of Tizen-supporting devices increase 21 percent on-year to 162.3 million, according to industry tracker Strategy Analytics.

Samsung's TV platform was followed by its South Korean compatriot LG Electronics Inc.'s WebOS with 7.3 percent, Sony's PlayStation with 6.4 percent and Amazon's Fire OS with 6.4 percent.

Tizen led in 22 of the 25 countries surveyed in its report, while WebOS came in second in 13 markets, Strategy Analytics said.

"Samsung's Tizen platform has grown strongly over the past five years, overtaking more established platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox and Apple's TV OS," it said. "Samsung is now monetizing Tizen's growth by offering the platform's capabilities to integrate and deliver targeted advertising to TV and video viewers on TV screens."

Strategy Analytics predicted that the number of Tizen devices in use will increase to 184 million units by the end of this year to defend its leading status, while Google, LG, Roku and Amazon will continue to vie for the other leading positions.

"Samsung's smart TV market leadership gives it a great foundation to sustain Tizen as the leading TV streaming platform for years to come," said David Watkins, a director at Strategy Analytics. "However several other major players are also growing rapidly and many have the resources to build a serious challenge to Samsung if the strategic ambition is there."

Samsung had a record market share of 31.9 percent in the global TV market in terms of sales revenue last year, according to data from industry researcher Omdia, extending its lead in the global TV market for the 15th consecutive year. (Yonhap)