Casting Is Dead, Long Live Second-Screen Control: What Broadcasters Should Know

Casting Is Dead. Long Live Second-Screen Control.

Hook: Broadcasters, publishers and platform product teams: if your second‑screen playbook still assumes mobile-to‑TV casting as the primary control model, Netflix’s January 2026 decision is your alarm bell. The streaming leader’s removal of broad casting support signals a structural shift in how viewers expect to control big‑screen playback — and it forces rapid UX and product changes to avoid broken journeys, lost engagement and missed monetisation.

Top line: what changed and why it matters

In early 2026 Netflix quietly ended support for most mobile‑to‑TV casting from its native apps, preserving only legacy Chromecast adapters and a handful of smart display and TV models. That move is not an isolated product tweak — it reflects a wider industry recalibration. Major streamers are consolidating control over the TV UX, prioritising consistent ad and content experiences, stronger DRM, unified analytics and direct device relationships over an open casting ecosystem that introduces fragmentation and measurement gaps.

This matters for broadcasters and publishers because second‑screen control is no longer a single technical integration. It’s now a strategic product domain that sits at the intersection of UX, platform partnerships, privacy regulation and monetisation strategy. Getting it wrong creates friction in the most valuable viewing context: the living room.

Why casting declined — and what replaced it

From convenience to constraints

Casting was popular because it removed login friction and allowed quick handovers from phone to TV. But it created problems:

• Fragmentation of UX: Different device implementations produced inconsistent playback states and UI mismatches.
• Limited analytics: App developers often had blind spots around ad exposure, device capabilities and precise engagement metrics.
• Commercial control: Casting can circumvent platform monetisation flows and ad targeting models.
• Security and DRM complexity: Ensuring consistent content protection across cast endpoints is operationally expensive.

What broadcasters are seeing instead

Three second‑screen paradigms are rising in 2026:

1. Native TV app first, companion mobile app second — The TV app becomes the authoritative playback client; mobile apps act as companions for search, casting‑replacement pairing and interactive features.
2. Secure pairing and handoff APIs — QR codes, ephemeral one‑time tokens, Bluetooth LE and cloud WebSocket/WebRTC signalling replace open cast control, giving publishers more control and better telemetry.
3. Synchronized multi‑screen experiences — Instead of simply controlling playback, companion apps provide contextual overlays, second‑screen metadata, commerce hooks and social features that are tightly time‑synced to the main stream.

“Second‑screen control today is less about remote replacement and more about extending the TV experience with reliably synced, measurable companion services.”

Concrete UX and product changes broadcasters must make

Below are practical, implementable steps product and UX teams can take now to adapt to a post‑casting world.

1. Make the TV app the source of truth

Design the TV client to be authoritative for playback state, ads and personalization. This avoids split states where phone and TV disagree about what the user is seeing.

• Prioritise remote-navigation UX: D‑pad, voice, and accessibility-first flows should be central to the TV experience.
• Expose well‑documented pairing endpoints in the TV app to accept secure companion connections.
• Ensure the TV client supports immediate recovery after network or app restarts to minimise viewer disruption.

2. Implement secure, low‑friction pairing

Replace casting’s “discover and stream” model with pairing patterns that are fast, privacy‑conscious and reliable. Options to support:

• QR code pairing: Quick and familiar — scan on phone to establish a secure session token.
• One‑time PINs: Display a short code on TV; enter it in the mobile app to pair.
• LAN discovery + cloud relay: Use mDNS/SSDP for local discovery and WebRTC or cloud WebSocket for signalling when local discovery fails.
• Bluetooth LE handoff: For a single‑tap pairing in trusted environments (with clear privacy messaging).

Design principle: pairing should take three seconds or less from launch to control handover in 80% of sessions.

3. Reimagine the companion app role

Companion apps should be more than remote replacements. Design them as contextual extensions that enhance TV viewing:

• Second‑screen metadata: Cast synchronized trivia, cast bios, live stats or shopping info that doesn’t clutter the TV image.
• Time‑synced micro‑interactions: Polls, shopping cards and social reactions tied to exact playback timestamps.
• Multiview control: Enable chapter selection, alternate camera angles for sports, multi‑language audio selection, and secondary content streams.
• Creator tools: Allow content partners to push approved clip highlights and shareable assets for social platforms.

4. Build measurement into the experience

Part of Netflix’s rationale is regaining measurement. Broadcasters must bake analytics into every second‑screen interaction:

• Instrument pairing success rate, latency, and the percentage of sessions where the companion app is used beyond basic control.
• Measure time‑synced engagement events (e.g., purchases clicked during a 30‑second window following a cue).
• Standardise event definitions across TV, mobile and server to avoid data fragmentation.

5. Prioritise privacy‑first identity and consent

Regulators in the EU and UK continued tightening oversight through 2025–26. Partnering with smart TV manufacturers or routing control through cloud relays introduces privacy responsibilities. Follow these rules:

• Collect the minimum personally identifiable information (PII) needed for pairing and payment.
• Use hashed identifiers and device‑level tokens instead of cross‑site identifiers for targeting.
• Provide clear, granular consent UIs for second‑screen features that share data with advertisers or third parties — and review programmatic approaches with privacy-first strategies.

Monetisation and ad strategy for second‑screen control

Second‑screen control opens new revenue lines — but only if the UX is respectful and trust is maintained.

Shoppable moments and micropurchases

Shoppable moments and micropurchases can deliver incremental revenue. Design them to interrupt the viewing experience minimally: collect intent signals and trigger purchases as optional overlays in the companion app rather than forcing the TV stream to pause.

Contextual companion ads

Rather than changing the main ad pod, publishers can serve companion promotions that are time‑synced and targeted based on anonymised viewing context. This yields higher CPMs without degrading the TV ad experience.

Premium interactive passes

Offer paid second‑screen features — multi‑angle sports streams, director commentary synced to playback, or exclusive companion content — as a subscription add‑on or event upgrade. Consider packaging and premium offers the way niche brands price limited features (see approaches to capsule collections and premium tiers).

Technical and platform partnerships to prioritise

To make the new second‑screen stack resilient and scalable, product teams should pursue these partnerships and technical approaches in 2026.

1. Device OS agreements

Work directly with TV OS vendors (e.g., large smart TV manufacturers and platform OSes) to ensure reliable API access for pairing and device capability reporting. A memorandum of understanding with key OEMs reduces the risk of TV app breakage and feature loss.

2. Certified SDKs for partners and creators

Publish well‑documented SDKs that content partners and rights holders can use to push timed metadata and interactive elements. Certification ensures content quality and reduces brand safety risks. Treat SDKs as part of your developer toolchain and CI/CD practice (align with approaches in modern video/edge CI workflows).

3. Cloud‑first signalling with local fallback

Implement a hybrid discovery model: local discovery (mDNS/SSDP) for the fastest path, but fall back to secure cloud relay signalling to support viewing across separate networks or for guests. WebRTC provides low‑latency channels for synchronized events when needed.

UX checklist for product teams (actionable tasks)

1. Audit current casting flows and map all touchpoints that will break if casting is removed.
2. Implement at least two secure pairing methods (QR + PIN) before Q3 2026.
3. Instrument pairing metrics and set SLA targets: pairing success > 95%, control latency < 300ms for core playback actions.
4. Design companion interactions that are optional by default and respect focus on primary TV viewing.
5. Publish a privacy policy specifically for second‑screen features and run a compliance review against GDPR/DMA obligations.
6. Build or buy an SDK for time‑synced metadata and certify partner content to avoid inconsistent UX.

Case study: a hypothetical broadcaster pivot

Consider Broadcaster X, which relied heavily on casting for sports highlights. After Netflix’s 2026 move, Broadcaster X implemented QR pairing, moved the highlight clipping tool into the companion app and launched a paid multi‑angle feature that allowed viewers to switch camera feeds from their phone while the TV showed the main feed. Within three months, engagement for second‑screen features rose 42%, and premium pass conversions covered the development cost. The key takeaway: converting passive casting users into active companion users requires rethinking UX and business models together.

Risks and pitfalls — what to avoid

• Forcing replacement remotes: Don’t simply recreate the mobile remote in an app. Users expect something more relevant than a giant touchpad copy of the TV remote.
• Overloading the companion: Avoid turning the phone into an app marketplace. Companion features should reduce cognitive load and enhance context, not create distraction.
• Ignoring accessibility: Second‑screen features must be usable by viewers with impairments. Voice control and large‑type flows are non‑negotiable.

Future predictions for 2026–2028

Based on current trajectories in late 2025 and early 2026, expect the following developments:

• TV apps will centralise commerce and identity: More transactions will be routed through TV apps, with companion apps offering fast checkout and loyalty integration.
• Standardised time‑sync protocols: Industry consortia will push for standard event schemas for synchronized second‑screen metadata to ease cross‑platform publishing.
• Privacy‑preserving targeting: Second‑screen ad targeting will move to on‑device models and aggregated signals as regulators tighten rules on cross‑device tracking.
• Hybrid live event monetisation: Sports and reality TV will increasingly use companion apps for real‑time bets, polls and shoppable moments — with stringent regulatory guardrails.

Measuring success: KPIs to track

To evaluate second‑screen strategies, track these metrics:

• Pairing success rate — Percentage of viewers who complete pairing on first try. Instrument this metric and tie it to low-latency tooling like real-time test harnesses.
• Control latency — Median time to respond to play/pause/seek commands.
• Companion engagement rate — Percentage of paired sessions where the companion app is used beyond basic control.
• Conversion rate for second‑screen commerce — Purchases per 1,000 paired sessions.
• Retention lift — Change in weekly active viewing hours for users who use second‑screen features.

Closing analysis

Netflix’s decision to deprecate broad casting in early 2026 is less about killing a single technology and more about redefining control. The streaming era’s next chapter is about deliberate, measurable second‑screen systems that prioritise consistent big‑screen UX, reliable analytics, regulatory compliance and new monetisation models. For broadcasters and publishers, the opportunity is clear: take the initiative, treat second‑screen as a product discipline and design companion experiences that add value rather than attempt to re‑implement a remote control.

Actionable takeaways (summary)

• Accept the TV app as the source of truth and instrument it thoroughly.
• Implement secure, fast pairing (QR + PIN + cloud relay) and measure pairing SLAs.
• Design companion apps as contextual extensions offering synchronized metadata, commerce and social features.
• Monetise companion experiences carefully with privacy‑first targeting and optional premium features.
• Partner with TV OEMs and publish certified SDKs for creators and rights holders.

Call to action: Start your second‑screen audit this quarter. Map existing casting touchpoints, prioritise pairing and measurement fixes, and pilot one time‑synced companion feature for a high‑value show or live event. If you’d like a practical checklist and a partner evaluation template for 2026, contact your product strategy team and treat this initiative as core to your TV roadmap — not an optional feature.

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