I'd genuinely love to see real evidence of any of these things being used in a wide range of models.

These are mostly expensive options (a SIM card for every TV? really?) and require maintenance and finesse, and aren't needed for the majority of units shipped. Occam's razor would suggest they're happy enough with anyone stupid enough to connect the TV that all this work for 5-10% of their market isn't worth the additional marginal cost to each unit.