Google TV adds over 170 free channels, including holiday specials, just in time for festivities

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Google TV has significantly expanded its free channel selection, now offering more than 170 live-streaming channels in time for the holidays. This marks a major milestone after the service surpassed 150 channels earlier this year.

The Google TV Freeplay feature allows users to access free, ad-supported live channels on new Google TV devices. However, this feature is only available in the United States. Initially, Freeplay launched with around 80 channels, and the platform has steadily expanded its offerings throughout 2024.

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As of November, the total number of channels available in Freeplay reached nearly 160, and now Google TV has added over a dozen more. New channels include a variety of content for the holiday season, such as Designated Survivor and The Great Christmas Light Fight. Other recent additions include:

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According to a 9to5Google report, these additions bring the total number of available channels to 171. However, some of these channels, particularly those focused on holiday content, may only be available for a limited time. At the same time, Google removed Motortrend Fast TV from the lineup, further indicating that content updates will continue throughout 2025.

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Outside of Freeplay, users can access over 1,100 additional free channels through Google's partnerships with services like Plex, PlutoTV, and others. However, these require users to download extra apps.

Despite these additions, the updated Freeplay app is still missing from many devices after a rollback in November due to crashing issues, except for the Google TV Streamer.