Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get streaming TV channels for free without downloading an app or signing up for a new service? Well, you might get it soon if you’re a Google TV user, 9to5Google has decompiled the latest software version and reports that the company’s TV streaming platform (formerly Android TV) contains text which hints at 50 live TV channels included.
The alleged new feature appears to be called “Google TV Channels” based on text found in the launcher app. And there is also an image in the software that indicates which channels will be included in the new service. This is the usual range of free internet streamed channels like ABC News Live, NBC News Now and USA Today. There are also a bunch of background noise channels like Divorce Court, American Classics and Deal or no Deal. You’ll even get the Hallmark Movies channel and enjoy the one where a big-city lawyer learns to like the simple things after falling in love with a hardy baker. And you’ll have the Reelz channel where you can apparently watch my actor friend play a soft-spoken cop.
Many of these channels are readily available on other free or cheap streaming TV services, including Pluto TV, Philo, and Sling TV. But these are services you have to sign up for, as Google takes the approach that some TV makers like LG and Samsung use with their smart TVs, giving shoppers something to watch with just a few clicks of a remote. Google’s 50 channels seem slim compared to LG’s 175 channels and over 200 with Samsung’s TV Plus, but you probably won’t need to buy a brand new TV or download an app to enjoy it.
