Photo Credit: Nipun Chandra Surnilla (Sonos Era 300 Speaker)
Sonos is abaondoning its plans to release a streaming video player this year. The embattled hardware manufacturer has shed its former CEO Patrick Spence, while interim CEO Tom Conrad refocuses the company.
The Verge reports that the cancellation of the internal project known as ‘Pinewood’ was announced during an all-hands call today. The video streaming box was supposed to compete against Apple TV in the high-end streaming box market—the cancellation leaves few options for those who want serious hardware for streaming.
Project Pinewood was already deep into development, with the box slated to drop in the second half of 2025. This cancellation leaves Sonos without a major product launch in the second half of the year, with gift-giving season right around the corner. The team working on Project Pinewood at Sonos will be reassigned to other internal projects as Conrad refocuses the company’s roadmap to help it recover from a disastrous app launch—one which propelled Patrick Spence out of his leadership role.
Many Sonos employees have privately worried that Pinewood would not be the savior the company needs as the video streaming category is highly competitive. Apple, Google, Amazon, and Roku all compete in the category—offering a range of hardware from budget streaming sticks to high-end devices. For now, Sonos appears to be focused on improving the recently revamped app.
“We don’t comment on our roadmap, but as has been previously announced we have a long-standing relationship with The Trade Desk and that relationship continues,” a Sonos spokesperson told The Verge when asked for a comment. The Trade Desk is the company that created the operating system Project Pinewood was supposed to run on.
Pinewood was to offer many streaming apps, universal search, and content aggregation. But it was also intended to double as an HDMI switcher and support pass-through technology for gaming consoles. In short, it was supposed to be the hub to connect all devices to while it connects directly to the TV. Pinewood was also supposed to allow new surround sound speaker configurations that weren’t previously possible in Sonos’ current app.
Pinewood was approved by Patrick Spence and is said to be the passion project of Nick Millington, Sonos’ Chief Innovation Officer. Millington is currently in charge of the Sonos app revitalization—attempting to bring the new experience in line with what customers expect from a high-end speaker company. Long-time Sonos customers who discuss the brand on reddit seem pleased with the cancellation—since they’re still upset the new app is missing many features the old app offered.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.