Google TV is becoming more similar to basic cable. The company said today that it will add content from a number of new providers to make browsing live TV channels that are supported by ads a central part of the platform. The news comes to a while after the organization was supposedly haggling with media organizations to add comparative content to YouTube.
Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels from Tubi, Plex, and Haystack News will be added to Pluto TV’s FAST content today by Google TV. Additionally, “built-in channels from Google TV that you can watch without even downloading or launching an app” are being added by Google. Over 800 free channels are now aggregated, according to the company.
Ad-supported “linear streaming content,” also known as FAST, is broadcast at specific times like traditional television. Think of TNT or TBS’s typical afternoon programming.) FAST channels, which have already been adopted by rivals like Roku, transform streaming into an experience similar to channel surfing in the past. This further demonstrates that live TV streaming has essentially become cable delivered through a different pipe.
Google says the substance will incorporate shows like Westworld (which Warner Bros. Discovery eliminated from HBO Max), Law & Order: SVU and The Walking Dead. Also, it incorporates news content from NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. It likewise has international programming in excess of 10 languages, including Spanish, Japanese and Hindi. Additionally, Google claims that the updated TV guide, which organizes the programming, speeds up and simplifies browsing. If you subscribe to either Sling TV or YouTube TV, the Google TV Live tab will also display all of your live TV content.
Even though the changes to Google TV start rolling out today, the company says it will do so “over the coming weeks,” which is a Google classic, so you might have to wait a while before you try them. Naturally, the first thing you’ll need is a Google TV device, such as a Chromecast with Google TV or a Sony, TCL, Hisense, or Philips television with Google TV built in. The company claims that Android TV devices will receive the feature later this year.
