• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechNetflix

Netflix Says These Are the Best Smart TVs

By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 21, 2016, 9:16 AM ET
NetFlix Mad Men
FILE - In this undated file photo provided by NetFlix Inc., a representation of the Netflix one-click remote available on many consumer electronics devices this spring, is shown. Netflix, Inc., the world's leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows, and Lionsgate , a leading global entertainment company, Tuesday, April, 5, 2011, announced a multiyear syndication deal in which Lionsgate has licensed the first four seasons of its Emmy Award-winning series "Mad Men"  to be watched instantly by Netflix members starting July 27, with additional seasons being added annually after they complete airing on their respective seasons on the AMC network.   (AP Photo/NetFlix Inc., file) NO SALESPhotograph by Netflix/AP

In a world where you don’t really need to have a TV to watch TV, Netflix is getting into the business of recommending TVs.

The streaming content service just rolled out its second year of “Netflix Recommended” televisions, the sets awarded the company’s stamp of approval as the best smart TVs of 2016. And the pickings this year are a little slim, with just a few models from TV-makers Sony (SNE) and LG wearing the new sticker.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The company’s rating system for smart TVs is based largely on speed. Netflix (NFLX) tested TVs on how quickly they turn on, how fast they can resume playing videos, and how swiftly they can launch the Netflix app.

But, of course, since this is Netflix, the machines were also evaluated on how well they promote…Netflix. Sets were judged on how easy it is to access the streaming service: Is there a dedicated Netflix button on the TV’s remote? How prominently is it featured in the interface? Does it come with the latest version of Netflix preinstalled?

For more on TV, watch:

For the second year in a row, TV giant Samsung (SSNLF) was absent—though in a statement, Samsung said that it “chose not to participate this year or last in Netflix’s Recommended TV program.” (However a Netflix spokesperson told Fortune via email that this year’s Samsung TVs simply “have yet to be evaluated as they are just now coming to retail.”) Samsung’s smart TVs came under fire last year for “listening in” on customers, but are they really slower than LG or Sony sets? It’s tough to know how much of ranking is based on performance and how much is simply due to a closer manufacturing relationship with Netflix. Still, as Variety reports, part of the reason the pickings are so slim this year is that the company made it harder for sets to qualify by reducing the maximum time allowed for TVs to complete certain tasks. That doesn’t just make for faster Netflix, it speeds up any streaming TV-watching. Which is a good thing, given all the new binge-watching options rolling out this month.

Here’s the full list of this year’s winners:

LG 2016 4K UHD TVs with webOS 3.0: UH6300 series, UH6500 series, UH7500 series, UH8500 series, UH9500 series, G6 series.

Sony 2016 Android 4K UHD TVs: X85D series, X93D series, X94D series.

Clarification, March 23 & 24, 2016: This story has been updated with additional information from both Samsung and Netflix on Samsung’s participation in the Netflix Recommended TV program.

About the Author
By Hilary Brueck
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A veiled Iranian woman holds her cellphone displaying a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
CybersecuritySecurity
Cyber retaliation from Iran is a problem for U.S. companies — ‘It’s in the hands of a 19-year-old hacker in a Telegram room,’ ex-NSA operative says
By Amanda GerutMarch 1, 2026
1 hour ago
Two girls look at a white laptop placed on a desk.
AIEducation
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Big TechSocial Media
YouTube’s cofounder and former tech boss doesn’t want his kids to watch short videos, warning short-form content ‘equates to shorter attention spans’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 1, 2026
7 hours ago
Slack cofounder Stewart Butterfield
SuccessProductivity
Slack cofounder says workers and CEOs can get stuck doing ‘fake’ work like pre-meetings and slide shows
By Emma BurleighMarch 1, 2026
7 hours ago
heitmann
CommentaryEntrepreneurship
Here’s how to build something that lasts, from the founder of a $300 million bootstrapped company that’s been growing for 28 years straight
By Tim HeitmannMarch 1, 2026
13 hours ago
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
EnergyData centers
Your utility bills keep going up. Here’s everyone you can blame—AI data centers included
By Jordan BlumMarch 1, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
13 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
The week the AI scare turned real and America realized maybe it isn't ready for what's coming
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran is now on 'death ground' amid existential threat from U.S. attacks and could 'go big' in retaliation, former NATO commander warns
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Trump's universal 401(k) architect on why lower-income people distrust retirement accounts: 'they want to know what the catch is'
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 28, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.