Google TV is once again expanding its free live TV lineup. In April, the company announced the Google TV service was growing to include over 800 live TV channels, including those from Tubi, Plex, Haystack, and others. Today, the company says it’s adding 25 more free channels to the lineup, which can be watched without having to install any additional apps or needing to sign in.
With the additions. there are now over 100 free built-in channels out of the total 800 free channels, Google says.
Among the new arrivals are those that include TV shows like “Top Gear” and “Baywatch,” plus game shows, music channels, multicultural entertainment, and more.
These complement the existing free channels Google added earlier this year, like news channels from NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX, and others featuring shows like “Westworld,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “The Walking Dead.”
FAST channels, or free ad-supported television, have seen increased consumer adoption in recent months as consumers tightened up their discretionary spending on subscription streaming services and other expenses that aren’t needed. Combined with rising subscription prices across streamers, including YouTube TV, and password crackdowns at Netflix, free streaming is becoming a popular alternative.
According to a recent study by Samba TV, 1 in 3 U.S. users now tune into free ad-supported streaming services, with Amazon’s Freevee seeing the largest growth. Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel and Crackle were also popular.
In addition to the free streaming expansion, Google also announced today that it’s integrating YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket deal into the Google TV service. Starting this season, the NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube and YouTube TV will be fully integrated into Google TV in the U.S. That means users will be able to “watch live out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, see top highlights and get recommendations for top games of the week,” directly from the Google TV home screen, the company explained.
Plus, YouTube TV subscribers who have added on Sunday Ticket will also see the content in their channel guide on the Live tab to make it easier to find what they’re looking for.