Google is following Amazon’s lead by adding 800 free, ad-supported channels to its Google TV service. The platforms of the two GAFAs seem to look more and more like traditional access provider offers.
Google continues to try to grab market share from Amazon and its Fire TV or Roku. For example, Google TV announced last year to be present on more than 150 million active devices and in this effort, FIFA + was made available on Google TV and Android TV at the time of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Google TV now continues the offensive by offering no less than 800 live television channels on its platform.
Google thus adds the channels of Tubi, Plex and Haystack to the existing content of Pluto TV. In addition, are added “Built-in Google TV channels that you can watch without even downloading or launching an app“. The company says the service now has over 800 free channels. All of these channels are ad-supported and viewable in a centralized live TV tab.
Google TV follows the trend set by Amazon’s Fire TV
For now, it would seem the channels implemented directly on Google TV are only available in the United States. Indeed, the Google support site states that “if you live in the United States, live TV may also appear in the “Live” section of your home screen“. There is no doubt that this functionality will arrive very quickly in France. In addition, the channels added to Pluto are viewable from today also in France.
Google’s Smart TV is thus closer to a classic DTT offer, just like Fire TV. Indeed, the functionality described above is already available on the Amazon platform in France, on the home page. While Smart TV services seemed to be getting rid of traditional TV channels and putting streaming services like Netflix at the center, they are making a comeback and becoming a central part of these platforms.
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Similarly, the search engine announced a few months ago that it would have negotiated with other television channels to add similar content to YouTube. The GAFAMs thus transform streaming into an experience close to the zapping of yesteryear, proving once again that streaming has essentially become cable, but sent through a different pipe.
