New Delhi, Oct. 14 -- Tata Play, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Walt Disney, is taking its content aggregation and distribution beyond the set-top box, betting on a new app for smart TVs as the streaming wave is poised to take centre stage in the living room.

The direct-to-home company (formerly Tata Sky) has launched Tata Play Smart with over 500 television channels and does not require a set-top box or an antenna.

This assumes significance as connected TV (CTV) or smart television is no longer an urban phenomenon, with a recent report by Kantar estimating that one in three CTV users lives in rural India.

Entertainment industry experts say audiences in smaller towns are spending longer sessions on connected TV, watching live sp...