You already recognized the positioning: it's all about Google Play. Google TV exists/existed because Google wants to be in the living room. But they can't get

You already recognized the positioning: it's all about Google Play. Google TV exists/existed because Google wants to be in the living room. But they can't get TV makers on board. They can't get content owners on board. They can't get ISPs on board. They got some OEMs on board and tried to let developers 'solve' the content problem as it was solved for iOS and Android, but that bombed spectacularly. So now what? Now they've got a fledgling content service in want of players. And now they're going to try to use that to get consumers to put Google devices in their living rooms and dorm rooms. And maybe, just maybe, they'll flip GoogleTV back into the game as/if it picks up steam an developers start begging for access. (the specs are certainly overkill for a streaming set-top box) But who really knows? If these things sell without Android apps, and Apple doesn't push the issue by allowing apps on the Apple TV, why wouldn't they carve direct deals that give them veto power as Apple has done?