> Smart TVs replaced dumb TVs not out of consumer demand […]

The consumer demand was/is for cheaper, and data mining is how OEMs got there. The general public got what they want, and OEMs got to keep their margins: "win-win".

It's the same thing with (US?) airlines: people wanted cheaper, and that's what was offered and they chose.

I'm always wondering how hard it would be to just remove the hardware for spying. Just keep enough hardware to make it a dumb panel, remove the webos logic boards, wifi antenna, etc.

Is there still any specific brand known for dumb tv's that features the quality and 'non smart' options of the smart variants?

Consumers will happily sell their data for a $100 discount. Hell they'll waste 20 minutes watching adverts to save $1.