SoundHound AI and LG Bring Restaurant Commerce to 20 Million Smart TVs

SoundHound AI is partnering with LG Electronics to turn smart televisions into a new commerce channel for restaurants and retailers, extending digital ordering opportunities beyond smartphones and traditional connected devices. The initial rollout will target approximately 20 million LG Smart TVs in the United States, with restaurants serving as the first merchant category.

The partnership signals an emerging opportunity for connected TV (CTV) platforms to move beyond advertising and entertainment into transactional commerce. By combining LG's smart TV distribution with SoundHound's voice and agentic AI infrastructure, the companies are exploring how consumers could discover and purchase products and services directly from their living rooms.

SoundHound AI is expanding its commerce ambitions through a strategic partnership with LG Electronics that aims to make LG Smart TVs a new customer acquisition and transaction channel for restaurants and other merchants.

The initiative will initially focus on approximately 20 million LG Smart TVs in the United States. Restaurants are the first category, with retail and other merchant segments expected to follow as the ecosystem develops.

The technology builds on SoundHound's existing merchant network and commerce infrastructure, which handles transaction routing and secure checkout. The company is working with restaurant brands interested in participating, including businesses already using its platform, such as Jersey Mike's, Five Guys and White Castle.

For restaurant operators, the proposition is to reach consumers while they are watching television rather than relying exclusively on mobile applications, search engines, delivery platforms or conventional digital advertising. The smart TV becomes another point of interaction where households can potentially discover restaurant offerings and complete transactions.

SoundHound is positioning the initiative as a broader living-room commerce opportunity rather than a conventional advertising placement. Its platform is designed to integrate with existing restaurant point-of-sale (POS) systems and kitchen execution infrastructure, reducing the need for merchants to install additional in-store hardware.

This integration is important because restaurant commerce involves more than displaying menus or promotional content. Orders must reach the appropriate operational systems, payment processes must be secured, and transactions must be coordinated with existing restaurant workflows. Connecting these components could make smart TV commerce more practical for multi-location restaurant operators.

The partnership also builds on a commerce channel SoundHound introduced at CES 2025. The company intends to extend its merchant ecosystem beyond restaurants into retail, hospitality, travel, entertainment and financial services.

For LG, the initiative creates an opportunity to expand the commercial value of its connected television ecosystem. Smart TVs have traditionally generated revenue through hardware sales, subscriptions, advertising and content distribution. Adding commerce capabilities could create another monetization layer by connecting viewers with merchants during high-engagement periods at home.

The move also reflects a wider convergence between connected TV advertising and retail media. CTV platforms are increasingly exploring ways to connect audience engagement with measurable commercial outcomes. Interactive advertising, shoppable content and direct-response television formats are part of this evolution.

However, converting television engagement into completed purchases presents practical challenges. Consumers generally use smartphones for restaurant discovery and ordering because mobile interfaces support detailed browsing, location-based services and convenient payment. Smart TV commerce will need to offer a sufficiently simple experience to compete with those established behaviors.

The initial restaurant focus provides a relatively clear starting point, particularly for quick-service restaurant chains with standardized menus and established digital ordering infrastructure.

SoundHound currently supports more than 15,000 restaurant locations across the United States, giving it an existing merchant network to build on. The partnership's commercial impact, however, will depend on merchant adoption, consumer engagement, transaction completion rates and the effectiveness of its POS integrations.

If successful, the collaboration could help redefine the role of connected televisions in digital commerce. Rather than serving only as entertainment and advertising screens, smart TVs could become another interface through which consumers discover brands and make purchases.

Market Landscape

The SoundHound–LG partnership enters a market where connected television platforms are looking for new ways to monetize audiences beyond traditional advertising and subscription revenue.

The development sits at the intersection of three technology segments: connected TV, retail media and conversational commerce. While companies such as Amazon, Roku and Walmart have explored shoppable advertising and commerce-linked media experiences, SoundHound is approaching the opportunity through merchant infrastructure and transaction integration.

Competitive positioning

• Amazon: Combines connected entertainment, advertising, retail commerce and shopping infrastructure across its Fire TV and broader ecosystem.

• Roku: Has developed interactive and shoppable advertising capabilities that connect television advertising with consumer purchasing.

• Walmart: Has expanded its retail media strategy through Walmart Connect and its acquisition of Vizio, creating opportunities to connect television audiences with retail data and commerce.

• SoundHound AI and LG: Are focusing on bringing merchant commerce capabilities directly to LG Smart TVs, initially emphasizing restaurant discovery and transactions.

The distinction is that SoundHound is building around transaction enablement and its existing restaurant network rather than positioning the initiative solely as an advertising format.

The broader opportunity is substantial. GroupM's advertising market forecasts and industry research from eMarketer point to continued growth in connected TV advertising, although advertising expenditure should not be confused with the addressable market for direct television commerce.

For enterprise marketers, the important question is whether connected TV can evolve from an awareness and consideration channel into a measurable conversion environment.

Strategic Outlook

The partnership could create a new distribution opportunity for restaurant chains, quick-service operators and eventually retail brands. It may also provide LG with additional ways to generate commercial value from its installed television base.

However, the success of living-room commerce will depend on several factors: intuitive user interfaces, secure payment experiences, reliable POS integrations and sufficient merchant participation.

There is also a measurement challenge. Advertisers and retailers will need to understand whether transactions originated from television interactions, how those purchases contribute to incremental revenue and how the channel compares with mobile ordering and other digital acquisition methods.

SoundHound's longer-term opportunity is to establish its commerce infrastructure as a bridge between connected devices and merchant transaction systems. If the model gains adoption, the living room could become another meaningful environment for conversational commerce and AI-assisted purchasing.

For now, the partnership is an early commercial expansion rather than evidence that television-based ordering is becoming a mainstream consumer behavior. Its significance will be determined by actual transaction volumes and repeat usage.

Top Insights

- New TV commerce channel: SoundHound and LG are opening access to approximately 20 million U.S. smart TVs, creating a potential new customer acquisition channel for restaurant brands.

- Restaurant technology integration: Existing POS and kitchen execution integrations could help restaurant operators introduce television-based ordering without investing in additional in-store hardware.

- Connected TV monetization: The partnership expands CTV opportunities beyond advertising, allowing merchants to explore direct transactions through connected television environments.

- SoundHound's merchant ecosystem: More than 15,000 restaurant locations already use SoundHound's platform, providing an existing network for potential expansion into smart TV commerce.

- Expansion beyond restaurants: Plans to introduce retail and additional merchant categories could position LG Smart TVs as broader digital commerce touchpoints for enterprise brands.

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