Google TV continues to push hard on free, ad-supported channels (aka FAST channels) in the US, and just added several more to its home screen to hit a significant milestone.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Google TV has added 14 additional channels to its lineup (below), bringing the total to 150 channels. As you can see from the list, there's nothing quite like BBC Earth, but if you're into snooker or true crime, you might find some enjoyable times to pass the time.
This increase in free channels comes as we rapidly approach the launch of the Google TV Streamer set-top box, which goes on sale on September 24 for $99, £99 or AU$159. When the box launches, the free channels will apparently appear in a new listing under the heading Google TV Freeplay.
The new channels join 10 new ones added in late August, including CBC News, FilmRise Horror, and Rig TV, which is themed around “showcasing the world’s toughest jobs.” Here’s the full list of new channels added to the Google TV home screen in the latest update:
- billiard television
- Buzzer
- The Rifleman
- Xumo free TV about nature and wildlife
- The Conners
- The most evil murderer in the world
- Untold stories from the emergency room
- Xumo Free Bollywood and Indian Cinema
- Ghost Hunters Channel
- Highway to heaven
- Unspeakable
- Cook Country Channel
- Ebony TV from Lionsgate
- FilmRise: The Dick Van Dyke Show
Unfortunately, there's still no news on when free Google TV channels will be coming to the Live tab outside of the US. Hopefully, we'll have more news on that when Google TV Streamer arrives in a couple of weeks.
If you live in the US, you can find channels in the Live tab of the main Google TV interface on your smart TV or Chromecast with Google TV. For a full list of Google TV channels, visit Google's official listing.
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 works on Samsung TVs.
Recently, Sony One, a collection of 54 FAST channels, came to Samsung, LG and TiVo Plus TVs. In the UK, a new free live TV service called Freely launched in April to bring the country's major live TV channels together in one place.
But there’s no doubt that Google TV is a major player in this space, particularly with the launch of Google TV Streamer coming soon. Naturally, Google has a new ad network called Google TV Network, which is rolling out across its entire TV platform and the many devices that support it, including Sony, Hisense, and TCL TVs.
Thankfully, despite the imminent arrival of the Google TV Streamer, Google has said it will continue to update its Chromecast with Google TV adapters. A recent one was launched a couple of days ago, and a larger update with support for Android 14 and Matter is expected later this year.
