What Open Source Media Center does

OSMC is a free, open-source media-center platform built on Debian Linux and Kodi, founded in 2014 by Sam Nazarko and operated through the UK private limited company Sam Nazarko Trading Ltd (company number 09025303). The product spans a downloadable OSMC software distribution for Raspberry Pi and general-purpose x86 hardware, the purpose-built Vero V flagship device (£149 with 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, AV1 codec, 4GB DDR4, 32GB eMMC), a curated accessories catalog (remotes, USB hubs, POE adapters, TV dongles, SD cards, Bluetooth dongles, heatsinks, HDMI cables, power supplies), and an integrated App Store for extensibility. A white-label service provides customized, branded distributions for hotels, airports, and other high-traffic venues.

The company monetizes primarily through direct-to-consumer hardware sales via osmc.tv (with global shipping from the UK) and authorized resellers; ancillary streams include voluntary donations, accessory attach, commercial redistribution licensing under GPL v2, and white-label/customization services for commercial deployments. Customer segments are hybrid: a long tail of individual home media enthusiasts (both DIY Raspberry Pi users and plug-and-play Vero V buyers) as the primary segment, plus a smaller B2B stream targeting hospitality and venue operators.

Governance and scale remain founder-led: no institutional capital, no parent company, and no disclosed headcount despite firmographic estimates in the 51-100 band; product and community feedback are driven by Sam Nazarko and a distributed open-source contributor base, with monthly software updates (most recently through May 2026) maintaining a long support window (five years promised on Vero V hardware). Distribution and customer acquisition rely on the company's own e-commerce storefront, the Discourse community forum (~8,993+ topics), GitHub, social channels (Facebook, Twitter/X), blog/RSS, and earned coverage from outlets such as LifeHacker.

Name

Open Source Media Center

Legal name

Sam Nazarko Trading Ltd

Website

https://osmc.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

OSMC is a UK-based, free open-source media-center platform built on Debian and Kodi, selling the purpose-built Vero V hardware (£149) and accessories through its own global store while serving individual home users and white-label hospitality/venue customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Center Hardware

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (334310), Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411)

SIC

Electronic Computers (3571), Household Audio & Video Equipment (3651), Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577)

akta.pro primary industry

Mini PCs & Small Form Factor Desktops (HDACAAAI)

Keywords

• Open source media center
• Media player software
• Home theater hardware
• 4K HDR streaming
• Kodi media center

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of Vero V flagship device and companion accessories including remote controls, USB hubs, POE adapters, TV dongles, SD cards, Bluetooth dongles, heatsinks, HDMI cables, and power supplies. Hardware is sold through the OSMC Store with global shipping.
2. Donations: OSMC accepts donations to fund hardware, hosting costs, and future development. Donations are voluntary and the software remains free.
3. White Label Services: OSMC offers white label solutions for hotels, airports, and other venues with custom branding, splash screens, feature lockdown, and ongoing support. This provides revenue while supporting the open source project.
4. Software Licensing: OSMC is distributed under GNU General Public License version 2. Commercial redistribution requires compliance with GPL and may involve royalty payments to OSMC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OSMC develops and distributes a free, open-source media center operating system built on Debian Linux and Kodi Media Center, available as a free download for Raspberry Pi, Apple TV, and generic x86 hardware. The company monetizes primarily through sales of purpose-built Vero V flagship media player hardware and a full ecosystem of branded accessories (remote controls, USB hubs, POE adapters, TV dongles, SD cards, Bluetooth dongles, heatsinks, HDMI cables, power supplies), alongside optional white-label deployments for hospitality venues.

Product overview

OSMC is a free and open source media center built on Debian Linux and Kodi Media Center, available as software for multiple platforms (Raspberry Pi, PC) and as a purpose-built hardware device (Vero V). The product ecosystem consists of the core OSMC software platform, the flagship Vero V hardware device, and an App Store for add-ons. The company also sells complementary accessories including remote controls, connectivity peripherals (USB hubs, Bluetooth/WiFi adapters), storage solutions (SD cards, TV dongles), thermal management (heatsinks), cables, and power supplies. For commercial deployments, OSMC offers a white label customization service for venues like hotels and airports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vero V Purpose-built flagship media center device running OSMC, featuring 4K HDR playback with AV-1, VP9, and HEVC codec support, Dolby Vision tonemapping, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC storage, USB3 connectivity, and five years of guaranteed software updates.
• OSMC (Open Source Media Center Software) Free and open source media center operating system built on Debian Linux and Kodi Media Center, supporting playback of all major media formats from various devices and streaming protocols with an integrated App Store for customization. Available for Raspberry Pi, Vero devices, Apple TV, and generic x86 hardware.
• OSMC Remote Control RF-based remote control designed specifically for OSMC with a low-profile USB receiver, requiring no line-of-sight, with every button mapped to unique media center functions.
• 4 Port USB 3.0 Powered Hub Powered USB 3.0 hub with individual power control for devices such as external hard drives and DVD drives, compatible with all OSMC-supported devices.
• POE Adapter for Vero Power over Ethernet adapter enabling network and power delivery to Vero devices over a single cable, featuring 2.4A 5V output, gigabit connectivity, and fanless design.
• DVB-T2/DVB-C TV Dongle Digital TV dongle supporting DVB-T2 and DVB-C standards for watching free-to-air live TV on OSMC, compatible with TVHeadend from the App Store for EPG and recording functionality.
• OSMC 32GB SD Card High-performance 32GB micro SD card manufactured for optimal OSMC operation with best random 4K read/write performance, including micro SD adapter.
• Bluetooth Dongle OSMC-designed Bluetooth 4.0 dongle for wireless connectivity with keyboards, audio streaming to/from A2DP-compatible devices, and guaranteed OSMC compatibility.
• Heatsink for Raspberry Pi Pure aluminum heatsink with adhesive backing for thermal management of Raspberry Pi devices under heavy CPU utilization, with a low-profile design fitting within standard cases.
• OSMC Stickers Sticker packs featuring three unique OSMC logo designs including classic and new styles, with glossy finish, easy peel, and no residue.
• Raspberry Pi Power Supply 2.5A Heavy-grade 5V 2.5A power supply designed for Raspberry Pi media center use, guaranteeing continuous power delivery for demanding workloads with one-year international warranty.
• 2M HDMI Cable HDMI 2.0 cable in black, 2 meters long, featuring CEC ready and 3D support with 24K gold plated connectors.
• OSMC White Label Solution Customized non-branded OSMC distribution for hotels, airports, and high-traffic venues featuring custom splash screens, string modifications, feature lockdown, and stream restrictions with guaranteed updates preserving custom branding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vero V comes with 1 year international warranty and 5 years of software updates, demonstrating long-term support commitment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kodi (XBMC Foundation)coreTechnology or Integration · 5 November 2023OSMC is built on and integrates Kodi Media Center as its core media playback software. This partnership provides OSMC with a mature, feature-rich media center platform while contributing to the broader Kodi ecosystem. OSMC maintains its own improvements on top of Kodi releases.
• DebiancoreTechnology or Integration · 5 November 2023OSMC is built on Debian Linux, using it as the underlying operating system foundation. This provides stability and access to the Debian package ecosystem.
• Western Digital (WDLabs)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2015OSMC partnered with Western Digital's WDLabs division to develop and promote the OSMC PiDrive, a combined case/hard drive solution for Raspberry Pi. The partnership resulted in a co-branded product sold through both OSMC and Western Digital channels with promotional pricing for the OSMC community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Apple TV: Apple TV 4K is a premium tvOS-based streaming and media hub with deep Apple ecosystem integration. Competes with Vero V for high-end media playback buyers, including AirPlay/HomeKit users.
• Emby: Emby is a personal media server platform with client apps on multiple devices including Android TV boxes. Competes with OSMC for the home media management user, though closed-source and subscription-tiered.
• Nvidia Shield: Nvidia Shield TV is a premium Android TV media streamer with AI upscaling, GeForce Now gaming, and 4K HDR support. Direct hardware competitor to Vero V in the prosumer/media-enthusiast segment at a similar premium price point.
• Amazon Fire TV: Amazon Fire TV Stick and Cube devices are the dominant low-cost media streaming hardware, with deep Alexa and Prime Video integration. Compete with Vero V at lower price points, particularly for casual consumers.
• Plex: Plex is a larger, commercial media center and streaming platform with a freemium model. It serves the same home media consumption use case as OSMC but operates as a media server/aggregator with proprietary client apps rather than open-source hardware.

Others

• Raspberry Pi Foundation: Raspberry Pi is both a hardware platform OSMC supports and a competitive low-cost media center option when paired with LibreELEC/CoreELEC. Functions as both an ecosystem partner and an indirect competitor for DIY builds.

Direct peers

• CoreELEC: CoreELEC is a Kodi-focused Linux distribution specifically optimized for Amlogic hardware (the same SoC family used in Vero V). Direct competitor for Amlogic-based media center users.
• XBian: XBian is one of the original lightweight Kodi Linux distributions for Raspberry Pi and similar SBCs. Historical direct competitor to OSMC's Raspberry Pi media center use case.
• LibreELEC: LibreELEC is a free, open-source Kodi media center Linux distro targeting the same DIY enthusiast segment as OSMC. It is the closest direct software competitor, though it lacks OSMC's purpose-built hardware.

Emerging players

• Jellyfin: Jellyfin is a free, open-source media server alternative to Plex and Emby. It overlaps with OSMC in serving the privacy-conscious home media enthusiast, but operates as server software rather than a client media center OS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/try_osmc
• GitHubgithub.com/osmc/osmc
• Facebookfacebook.com/osmcproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/osmc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Source Media Center