Google TV continues its push for free, ad-supported channels (also known as FAST channels) in the US, and has just added several to the home screen, marking a major milestone.
As noted by 9to5GoogleGoogle TV has added 14 extra channels to its offering (below), bringing the total to 150 channels. As you can see from the list, there’s nothing on the level of BBC Earth, but if you’re into pool or true crime, there may be some satisfying time-wasters for you.
This increase in free channels comes as we fast approach the launch of the Google TV Streamer box, which goes on sale on September 24 for $99 / £99 / AU$159. When that box launches, the free channels will apparently be listed under a new Google TV Freeplay heading.
The new channels follow the addition of 10 new channels in late August, including CBC News, FilmRise Horror, and Rig TV, which has the theme of “showcasing the toughest jobs on Earth.” Here’s the full list of new channels added to the Google TV home screen in the latest push:
- Billiard TV
- Buzzer
- The Shooter
- Xumo Free nature and wildlife TV
- The Conners
- The most evil killer in the world
- Untold stories from the ER
- Xumo Free Bollywood and Indian Cinema
- Ghost Hunters Channel
- Highway to Heaven
- Unspeakable
- Cook’s Country Channel
- Ebony TV from Lionsgate
- FilmRise: The Dick Van Dyke Show
Unfortunately, there’s still no word on when Google TV’s free channels will be coming to the Live tab outside of the US. Hopefully we’ll hear more about that when the Google TV Streamer launches in a few weeks.
If you live in the US, you can find the channels by going to the Live tab on the main Google TV interface on your smart TV or Chromecast with Google TV. For a full list of Google TV channels, visit Official Google List.
The FAST race
Google isn’t the only tech giant embracing free, ad-supported TV. Top free streaming services now include The Roku Channel, Amazon Freevee and Samsung TV Plus, which runs on Samsung TVs.
We’ve also recently seen Sony One, a collection of 54 FAST channels, on Samsung TVs, LG TVs and TiVo Plus. In the UK, a new free live TV service called Freely launched in April to collect the country’s major live TV channels in one place.
But there’s no doubt that Google TV is a major player in the space, especially with the Google TV Streamer launching soon. Of course, Google has a new advertising network called the Google TV Network, which is rolling out across its TV platform and the many devices that support it, including Sony, Hisense, and TCL TVs.
Thankfully, despite the impending arrival of the Google TV Streamer, Google has said that it will continue to update its Chromecast with Google TV dongles. A recent one rolled out a few days ago, and a larger update with Android 14 and Matter support is planned for later this year.