Google is upgrading its US free streaming service Google TV Freeplay, adding on-demand video to its FAST channel offering.
In total, Freeplay has added 10,000 on-demand free movies and shows to its service. It is also expanding its TV lineup to include more than 300 free live channels across news, sports, reality TV, and true crime.
The on-demand film line-up includes movies from studios like A24 and Lionsgate spanning titles such as Lady Bird, Seventeen Again, and Hell’s Kitchen.
The channel additions include World of Love Island, Bloomberg TV+, Yahoo! Sports Network, and The Martha Stewart Channel.
The content is available without a paid subscription. It can be accessed via the Freeplay app on supported Google TV devices, including brands such as Sony, TCL, and Hisense.
The move was announced in a Google TV blog post this week. It comes amid a rapid growth in free streaming offers, in particular FAST services such as Tubi and Pluto TV, at a time of cost-of-living challenges and a migration from traditional broadcast television to streaming platforms.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) recently expanded distribution of its free streaming platform, Eurovision Sport, onto FAST services in the UK. Discover more here.
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