What you need to know
- Google announced that users can no longer purchase new episodes or seasons of shows directly on Google TV.
- The company seems to be transitioning its content to Youtube, considering all new shows can now only be purchase via that app.
- The update is set to roll out in the coming weeks, based on location and will not impact the ability to purchase movies on Google TV.
Google announced on Tuesday (July 22) that it is changing how people purchase shows on Google TV.
According to the blog post, users can no longer buy episodes or seasons of TV shows on the platform from Google TV and Android TV devices. However, this update doesn't impact the ability to purchase movies on the platform. It looks like the company wants to completely transition to YouTube, keeping all streaming under one roof—as TV shows purchased until Tuesday will now be available through the YouTube app.
In 2022, YouTube added thousands of TV shows to its platform, which allowed US viewers to watch full seasons of TV shows for free with ads, including "Hell’s Kitchen," "Andromeda," "Heartland," and more. At the same time, about 1,500 movies could also be streamed on the platform, making it easier for users to find the content they need in one place.
"You can continue to purchase TV shows from YouTube depending on country availability," the post added.
Nevertheless, users can still access previously purchased shows on Google TV, "including active rentals and entire TV seasons, regardless of where the purchase was made." New shows purchased on YouTube since yesterday can now only be streamed on the same platform.
Google has not clearly stated the reason behind this transition. However, it does say that this update will roll out in the coming weeks based on your country. This is said to impact Android and iOS users with the Google TV app on their devices.
The move definitely seems strange since the company seemingly wanted Google TV to be the hub for all things streaming back in December 2023, when it announced that the Google Play Movies & TV app would stop working and transition to the Google TV platform. Now that users can no longer purchase new shows on Google TV, it could cause them to move away from the platform altogether. It remains to be seen if Google will continue to have Google TV as a streaming platform or if it will also be gradually shelved.
