Google TV hits new mark of 150 free channels as the TV Streamer prepares for lift-off

DA Gadgets September 13, 2024 Televisions

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Google
TV
is
continuing
to
go
hard
on
free,
ad-supported
channels
(otherwise
known
as
FAST
channels)
in
the
US
–
and
it’s
just
added
several
more
to
its
home
screen
to
take
it
past
a
significant
milestone.

As
spotted
by

9to5Google,
Google
TV
has
added
an
extra
14
channels
to
its
lineup
(below),
taking
its
total
to
150
channels.
As
you
can
see
from
the
list,
there
isn’t
anything
quite
on
the
level
of
BBC
Earth,
but
if
you
like
Billiards
or
true
crime,
there
could
be
some
comforting
time-sinks
in
there
for
you.

This
ramping
up
of
free
channels
comes
as
we
head
rapidly
towards
the
launch
of
the

Google
TV
Streamer
box,
which
will
go
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
ones
at
the
end
of
August,
which
included
CBC
News,
FilmRise
Horror,
and
Rig
TV,
which
is
themed
around
“showcasing
the
toughest
jobs
on
earth.”
Here’s
the
full
list
of
new
channels
being
added
to
Google
TV’s
home
screen
in
the
latest
push:

Billiard
TV

Buzzr

The
Rifleman

Xumo
Free
Nature
&
Wildlife
TV

The
Conners

World’s
Most
Evil
Killer

Untold
Stories
of
the
ER

Xumo
Free
Bollywood
&
Indian
Cinema

Ghost
Hunters
Channel

Highway
to
Heaven

Unspeakable

Cook’s
Country
Channel

Ebony
TV
by
Lionsgate

FilmRise:
The
Dick
Van
Dyke
Show

Unfortunately,
there’s
still
no
news
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
lands
in
a
couple
of
weeks.

If
you
do
live
in
the
US,
you
can
find
the
channels
by
heading
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,
head
to

Google’s
official
list.

The
FAST
race

(Image
credit:
Google)

Google
isn’t
the
only
tech
giant
embracing
free,
ad-supported
TV
– the

best
free
streaming
services
now
include
The

Roku
Channel,

Amazon
Freevee,
and

Samsung
TV
Plus,
which
runs
on
Samsung
TVs.

Sign
up
for
breaking
news,
reviews,
opinion,
top
tech
deals,
and
more.

We’ve
also
recently
seen

Sony
One,
a
collection
of
54
FAST
channels,

land
on
Samsung
TVs,
LG
TVs,
and
TiVo
Plus. In
the
UK,
a
new
free,
live
TV
service
called

Freely
launched
in
April
to
bring
together
the
country’s
major
live
TV
channels
in
one
place.

But
there’s
no
doubt
that
Google
TV
is
a
significant
player
in
the
space,
particularly
with
the
Google
TV
Streamer
launching
soon.
Naturally,
Google
has
a
new
ad
network
called
the
Google
TV
Network,
which
is
rolling
out
across
its
TV
platform
and
onto
the
many
devices
that
support
it,
including
Sony,

Hisense,
and

TCL
TVs.

Fortunately,
despite
the
imminent
arrival
of
the
Google
TV
Streamer,
Google
has
said
it
will
continue
to
update
its
Chromecast
with
Google
TV
dongles.
A
recent
one
rolled
out
a
couple
of
days
ago,
and
a
bigger
update
with
Android
14
and
Matter
support
is
due
later
this
year.