Streaming platforms with free channels are experiencing a new boom in recent years. Platforms like Pluto TV , or even Tivify, are a clear example of this. Now, Google would be working on the arrival of free channels for Chromecast and Google TV to watch all kinds of content.
This is how the latest rumors point out according to Protocol, which states that the show would arrive at the end of the year or at the beginning of next year. Google is in talks with various free channel distribution platforms with ads to bring their content to Google TV , which would be offered alongside YouTube TV, and would have a similar appearance to the linear channels that we find on our televisions.
Google has already contacted several platforms
These types of platforms, called FAST (acronym for Free Ad Supported Streaming) or AVoD (Advertising-based Video on Demand) have ads every few minutes to finance themselves, as well as on-screen watermarks. Users could comfortably search for channels from their mobile or from the remote for the Chromecast, something that could currently only be done on paid services such as YouTube TV. We remember that Pluto TV is available on Chromecast.
Currently, Samsung, Amazon or Roku have this type of free channel platform, where Samsung, for example, has dozens of them on Samsung TV Plus. At the moment it is not known which channels will reach Google TV for free , but it can undoubtedly be an attraction for users when buying one of Google’s devices or a Smart TV with its operating system. According to the report, these channels would also reach Smart TV from Sony, TCL, Xiaomi and basically all those that use Android TV.
The show could be announced later this year , but the arrival date could be delayed even to early 2022 . In addition, the launch may be limited geographically and is initially only available for the United States, and then it will gradually reach more countries as Google usually does.
Google already tried to put free channels in 2014
This would not be the first time that Google has tried to bet on free linear channels . In 2014, when they announced Android TV, including an area dedicated to linear channels of streaming platforms and other broadcasters. However, it was barely popular and did not even make it to Chromecasts. However, the new bet from the hand of large chains can attract a multitude of new platforms; especially now that there is a boom in free channels.
This type of modality is a success on all the platforms that make it up. Samsung TV users watch billions of minutes of content each month, according to company data. Other platforms such as Pluto TV do not stop adding new channels, taking advantage of the fact that the industry is looking for new ways to monetize its catalogs. Even these companies are launching their own free channels, like AMC, which has one dedicated to The Walking Dead. On Pluto TV we can see, for example, channels dedicated to specific series such as Pawns to the beast, Doctor Who, Top Gear, etc.
