Backed by Simon Cowell, Kylie Minogue and Sheryl Crow, the streaming service looks to supplant smart speakers.
Starting today, new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) linear content offerings featuring fan-favorite programming across Telemundo Enterprises and the NBCUniversal Global Distribution library are available on Google TV and Android […]
Google TV, the operating system that powers Chromecast and various smart TV devices, is integrating access to free, ad-supported channels (FASTs) including Tubi, Plex and Haystack News, into its Live tab. Added to more than 300 existing Pluto TV channels already there, and new built-in channels that can be watched without downloading an app, Google TV now enables browsing and accessing more than 800 channels, without subscription fees. The selection includes NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox news channels.
Exclusives
Examining the latest update of the Google TV app has uncovered indications that the tech conglomerate’s move into live TV is well underway with at least 50 channels set to premiere.
CNN Plus will also likely be shut out of Google TV and Android TV on its first day. WarnerMedia said it’s working to expand distribution.
Google is working on a new streaming device that caters to people with older TV sets: The next Chromecast streaming dongle will run its Google TV interface and ship with a remote control, but it won’t support 4K streaming. The device will instead max out at a resolution of 1080p.
Live streaming TV service Philo is now fully integrated into Google TV, meaning users of the connected TV platform will see Philo content alongside shows and films from their other services. Philo subscribers can use Google TV to access their shows and Philo channels directly from the Live tab, and see customized recommendations in the “For You” tab. The company said the integration is rolling out of the next few days.
Google has altered its approach to TV and streaming, merging Chromecast and Android TV into a $50 Google-branded offering featuring a remote control. Chromecast with Google TV is the official new name for the setup, which marks the end of the Android TV brand name, which had been in use since 2014.
LG Electronics plans to launch Internet-enabled TV based on Google’s platform in the United States in the week of May 21, as the firm seeks to gain a larger share of the emerging Internet TV market, a senior LG executive said today. The move reflects an aggressive push by the duo to defend against a potential threat from Apple.
Google said Sunday it began releasing an update to the YouTube channel on Google TV, making it faster and easier to find content. The update is available through an app in Android Market.
LG has taken the wraps off its first Google TV-powered television set, even as rumors of an Apple television loom over the industry.
YouTube today confirmed it has inked a deal to offer initially a “handful” of Disney titles in the U.S. and Canada, with hundreds of titles to be added in the coming weeks.
Google TV, which allows viewers to mix Web and television content on TV screens via a browser, has received lukewarm reviews and been blocked by the major U.S. networks since its launch in the United States in October. Google is “absolutely committed” to its fledgling television business and expects many more partners to join it soon, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said on Saturday.
Google is planning revisions and has asked TV makers to delay introductions, catching some off guard.
Google Inc.’s drive to bring the Internet to living-room TVs and generate fresh advertising sales is being threatened by the failure to obtain popular shows such as Glee and NCIS. CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves and Chase Carey, the No. 2 executive at Fox parent News Corp., say after months of talks they’re in no hurry to let Google TV offer shows via the Web for free. They say there have been no lucrative offers and they aren’t sure of the search company’s intentions.
Over-The-Top TV At Bottom Of Station Plans
While a growing number of electronic devices are offering consumers the ability to bypass cable and satellite by delivering TV programming to their sets through broadband connections and Internet-connected TVs and other devices, TV stations aren’t rushing to get on board. Station groups say OTT services are simply too new and unknown. But if growth predictions are correct and if viewers continue to cut their cable cords, stations may have to turn to OTT outlets to insure their shows are reaching consumers.
It’s almost a clean sweep against Google TV: Now Viacom joins a list of big TV networks blocking the new Internet TV service access to premium TV shows. Viacom is added to a list including NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS, which have declined to let Google TV act as a new digital TV distributor — one that would link up Internet access of content to traditional TV sets.
Comcast customers can’t use a Google TV-based device to access authenticated programming on the MSO’s TV Everywhere site — but only because the Internet company’s software is not compatible with the operator’s video players, according to Comcast.
News Corp. yesterday decided to block full length episodes of its programming to Google’s new Web-connected television. Fox is the last of the Big Four networks to say no to Google TV.
The biggest flop of the new fall TV season wasn’t Fox’s Lone Star or ABC’s My Generation. It’s Google TV. The engineers at the search goliath appear to have pulled off the double whammy of disappointing the technorati and alienating the broadcast networks — two constituencies crucial to getting Google TV off the ground.
Attempts by broadcasters to seek payment for allowing their online video to be viewed through Google Inc.’s new Web-connected TV platform represents a “misunderstanding” of what it is, a Google executive said Tuesday.
