It is the remote control for my phone. I have all the sounds turned off so it only vibrates. But when I get a call or message or an email from a “fav” it tells me about it. And a few other alerts. But my phone can stay sound off most of the time and not be in my pocket all the time.
Most “smart” TVs today have all of the apps you use and more built in. But in a strong personal opinion I do not trust the TV brands to deal with security issues except in extreme cases. But I’m a minority.
But if you want Apple TV shows/subscription you’ll need either a smart TV with the AppleTV app as an option or an AppleTV box. You can also get a Ruku box/stick/whatever and get everything but AppleTV subscription.
For the same security / privacy reasons I don’t use Google TV products.
One reason TVs have gotten so cheap is they charge the various services to put on their apps or get a cut of the action when you watch via the built in apps.