tailgater wrote:But do these offer local news and/or the major network channels like ABC, etc?
If they want to watch netflix or amazon movies, they would go to the den and watch on the larger TV.
this is just kitchen for typical network daily programs.
If they already have a netflix or amazon prime account most portable pad devices have apps to run those. Or a small tv with a cheaper Roku input would access those accounts.
If you love your parents and want to be nice, you can get them a subscription to a streaming tv service (Youtube TV for live tv is what I use, $50/mo) if you don't love your parents, they can access a lot of generic tv through individual apps for each channel. For instance, CNN has an app that will stream their broadcast, not the same as the live show, but like highlights. The CW has an app that you can open and it will stream the most recent shows they released... Adult swim has one... etc etc. The disadvantage here is that you have to navigate to them individually.
Most of that can be accessed directly from some smart pad device, or from a TV with some sort of streaming system attached. (caveat - some smart tvs come pre-loaded with only a specific set of apps, with no ability to add more in, so you can't guarantee your particular system of interest is available unless you ask specifically)