Crave app refuses televisions based on production date

Crave, the Canadian streaming service owned by Bell Media, stopped supporting its app on Samsung smart TVs manufactured before 2018 as of September 15, 2025.^[1] Crave's device compatibility page now lists 2018 and newer Samsung smart TVs as the minimum requirement, excluding all models running the legacy Orsay operating system and early versions of Samsung's Tizen OS (Tizen 3.0 and below).^[2] Subscribers who paid for the service and used it on their TV were told to either upgrade to a newer Samsung model or buy an external streaming device.

Crave is a Canadian bilingual streaming service wholly owned and operated by Bell Media, a subsidiary of telecommunications conglomerate BCE Inc.^[3] Launched in December 2014 as CraveTV, the service holds exclusive Canadian streaming rights to HBO and Max programming through a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, not through ownership.^[4] The service is available only in Canada and is geo-blocked outside the country.^[3] BCE reported 3.6 million Crave subscribers at the end of 2024.^[5]

Samsung's smart TVs run the proprietary Tizen operating system. Each model year ships with a specific Tizen version: 2015 models run Tizen 2.3, 2016 models run Tizen 2.4, 2017 models run Tizen 3.0, and 2018 models run Tizen 4.0.^[6] Until recently, Samsung did not provide major OS version upgrades for its TVs; older models received only security patches and bug fixes, leaving them locked to whatever Tizen version they shipped with.^[7] In August 2024, Samsung announced seven years of free Tizen OS upgrades, but only for TVs manufactured in 2024 and select 2023 models.^[8] Pre-2023 TVs are excluded from this commitment.

Crave began notifying affected users through in-app messages on their Samsung TVs in July and August 2025.^[9] No formal press release from Bell Media was issued; the change was communicated through the app itself and Crave's support pages. The cutoff date was September 15, 2025.^[1]

The affected model groups span four years of Samsung TV hardware:^[2]

The 2018 model year, which shipped with Tizen 4.0, is the oldest generation Crave still supports.^[2] This was not the first time Samsung TV owners lost access to Crave; Samsung's support pages document earlier compatibility issues with the Crave app on older TV models.^[10]

The cutoff is not limited to Samsung. Crave's current compatibility requirements enforce similar age thresholds across platforms: LG smart TVs must be 2018 or newer, Android/Google TV devices must run OS 7.0 or higher, and Apple TV must run tvOS 14.0 or higher.^[2]

Crave's official support page for 2017 Samsung models directed users to alternative devices and added that "owners of select Samsung 2017 TVs may be eligible for an offer from Samsung," instructing them to call 1-800-SAMSUNG for details.^[1] On Bell's community forums, customer service representatives advised users to update their TV's software and, if the app remained missing, to contact Samsung TV support directly.^[11] Bell Media did not issue a public statement explaining the technical reasons for the change or the timeline for the decision.

Samsung's support documentation for Crave app errors on older models provides troubleshooting steps such as updating TV software and checking firmware versions, but does not address the discontinuation itself.^[10] When subscribers contacted Crave's customer service about the change, one user reported being told "it was Samsung's decision" to end support on older TVs, suggesting Crave deflected responsibility to the hardware manufacturer.^[12]

Samsung's seven-year update commitment, announced in August 2024, applies only to 2024 TVs and select 2023 models.^[8] The 2014-2017 TVs affected by the Crave cutoff were manufactured years before this policy existed and are locked to their original Tizen versions with no path to upgrade.

Affected subscribers reacted with frustration on online forums. Users on the r/cravetv subreddit described the change as declaring "perfectly good electronics" obsolete and reported cancelling their Crave subscriptions in response.^[12] Others directed their frustration at the smart TV model itself, arguing that TVs should function as displays while streaming is handled by replaceable external devices: "I want my TV to be a monitor only... instead of paying for a built in one that will be out of date in 6 years."^[9]

The primary workaround for affected consumers is to connect an external streaming device to the TV's HDMI port. Crave supports Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, and Roku, among others.^[2] However, Crave does not support casting for ad-supported content and plans, requiring a premium subscription for full device compatibility.^[2]

Canada lacks a federal anti-planned obsolescence statute. However, Quebec adopted Bill 29, the Act to protect consumers from planned obsolescence and to promote the durability, repairability and maintenance of goods, in October 2023.^[13] The law defines planned obsolescence as techniques aimed at reducing a product's normal operating life and prohibits the practice. Television sets are explicitly listed among the covered goods, with a statutory warranty of good working order lasting four years, effective October 2026.^[14][15] Whether the cessation of a third-party app on aging hardware qualifies as planned obsolescence under this law remains an open question.

Crave is not alone in dropping support for older smart TVs. Netflix stopped supporting Samsung TVs manufactured before 2015 and other legacy devices in early 2026, citing the inability of older hardware to handle newer audio formats, higher-resolution video, and tightened security standards.^[16] Disney+ requires Samsung TVs from 2016 or later.^[17] The pattern reflects a broader industry practice of deprecating hardware that crosses a roughly seven-to-ten year age threshold, as older operating systems lack the processing power and memory to run current versions of streaming apps.^[18]

• Planned obsolescence
• Right to repair
• Samsung
• HBO Max