The point being exactly that since we're now entering a time where open source TV firmware is a thing, profit motives don't necessarily trump everything else anymore.

Making a firmware that does "nothing" is probably less work than making one that does a lot of things. So even in the new currency (developer time) it might be cheap and make some people happy.

Developer time is paid only once. As soon as it is paid, the manufacturer loses out when he is not putting the spyware everywhere he can.

The manufacturer is completely irrelevant to the development in this case though, so sod what they want.

Which is GPs point. Open source TV firmware means that the manufacturers motives are no longer the totality of the conversation.

Well, what it does is reinforce the idea that privacy is a luxury. You can get it ( to an extent ), if you pay enough.