Samba TV Faces Class Action Lawsuit for Tracking Sony Bravia TV Purchasers
On April 18, 2025, Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP and Lowey Dannenberg P.C. filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Samba TV, Inc. unlawfully intercepted the private viewing histories of Sony Bravia TV owners in violation of state and federal privacy laws.
Since 2011, Samba TV has embedded chips in smart TVs—including Sony Bravia models—equipped with Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology. Samba TV describes this system as the “Heartbeat of Television” because it enables the company to gather real-time data on what viewers watch—including the specific show, season, and episode—along with their household ID, location, mapped devices, and the time and date the material was viewed. This information allows advertisers to identify viewers, target them based on their viewing habits, and then re-engage them on their phones, tablets, PCs, and TVs.
Samba TV allegedly sells this detailed viewer data through “custom audience” segments and data panels that, according to the company, are nearly as comprehensive as U.S. Census data. These panels categorize viewers based on criteria such as foreign language media consumption, holiday viewing habits, political affinity, and video gaming data. Advertisers and publishers can integrate this data into platforms, including FreeWheel, Google Ads, LiveRamp, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo. Samba TV reportedly maintains partnerships with multiple ad-tech companies and data brokers to facilitate this integration.
The lawsuit further alleges that Samba TV misrepresents its practices as compliant with applicable privacy laws and regulations while failing to obtain consent from viewers before collecting their data. Plaintiffs contend that the company begins to intercept data before viewers have a chance to opt in, and its disclosures omit key details about the scope of its tracking. As a result, many viewers unknowingly activate Samba TV’s invasive tracking systems.
If you purchased a Sony Bravia smart TV in California within the last ten years, Samba TV may have collected your viewing data without consent. As a result, you may be entitled to money damages and an injunction requiring changes to Samba TV’s data collection practices.
To learn more about your legal rights or to join the class action, please fill out the form below.
