After first being reported almost a year ago, Google TV is now making tangible progress towards launching 50 channels of free, ad-supported streaming content, and we have your first look at the list. Chains.
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” article, we have decompiled the latest version of an app that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we are able to see different lines of code in that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not provide these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be flawed. We’ll try to activate the ones that are about to be completed, though, to show you what they’ll look like in the event that they ship. With that in mind, read on.
With Google TV, the successor/redesign of Android TV, the company sought to make its platform smarter and more competitive with other smart TV options. One of the benefits of owning a Samsung Smart TV is access to Samsung TV Plus, which offers over 200 channels of free, ad-supported content.
By comparison, Google TV has steadily worked on its live TV options, earning deep integration with apps like Pluto TV and Philo, as well as the company’s own YouTube TV. In the same way reported last yearGoogle TV is about to expand live TV support by including its own set of channels.
According to the text of the latest version of the Android TV launcher app, things will start with an initial set of 50 channels.
Enjoy 50 live TV channels without the need to subscribe, register or download
To be clear, these are separate from the other options available on Google TV today, as these integrations require you to download an app, while the new text says the channels are available “without the need for […] Download.” More explicitly, the launcher calls them “Google TV channels.”
So what should we expect to stream when Google TV gets its free, ad-supported live TV channels? Based on a description in the app, there should be a decent variety of “news, sports, movies, and shows.” Luckily, the app also includes a chart that showcases over 30 of the soon-to-be-released channels.
- ABC News Live
- America’s Test Kitchen
- American Classics
- asylum
- drum pop
- Radio-Canada News
- ChivesTV
- Agree or disagree
- divorce court
- Dry bar comedy
- army failure
- Filmrise Free Movies
- Hallmark movies and more
- It’s Showtime at the Apollo!
- LOL Kevin Hart! Network
- love nature
- Non-conformist black cinema
- MooviMex
- Nature view
- NBC News Now
- Newsmax TV
- Curious
- The Pet Collective
- Power Nation
- Reelz
- Teletubbies
- Today all day
- cartoon glasses
- USA today
- world poker tour
- Wu Tang Collection Television
- Bad crime television
- bad movies
- bad westerns
Based on the list so far, it looks like Google has managed to land a number of well-known channels and brands to round out its free live TV options. While it’s still a far cry from Samsung TV Plus’ 200+ channels, it’s a great start that should have something for everyone.
Thanks to JEB decompilerwhich some APK Insight teardowns benefit from.
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