A Google TV Update Brought Thousands Of New Titles - Here's How To Watch Them

If you have a television running Google TV, you probably have always relied on using essential Google TV apps to gain access to the programs you want. However, thanks to a recent upgrade to the smart TV platform, you have new options for finding on-demand programming for free. In late August, Google updated the Freeplay streaming service that's built into Google TV, giving the ad-supported streaming platform more than 10,000 free on-demand movies and more than 300 live channels with multiple genres, such as crime, sports, news, reality, and more. Some of the new live television channels now available on Freeplay include Bloomberg TV+, The Martha Stewart Channel, World of Love Island, and Yahoo Sports Network.

Google did not release an extensive list of all the new on-demand movie titles that will be available. However, in its press release, the company did mention that its library will include titles from studios including A24 and Lionsgate. Google also said it will be regularly refreshing the list of titles. You will see advertisements when watching this content, but because most smart TVs are full of ads these days, you might be numb to watching them by this point. The new on-demand catalog is only available in the United States. To use Freeplay, you need a Google account, a high-speed internet connection, and a compatible television.

Using Google TV is an easy process as long as you have a compatible television. You can find the Google TV software on certain televisions from manufacturers like Hisense, Sony, and TCL. To watch Freeplay's channels on your television, just open the Freeplay app from the home screen and begin exploring. You need to make sure you have the latest software update installed for both the Freeplay app and Google TV in order to receive the best video quality and speed. Like most streaming services with on-demand titles, you can expect Freeplay to refresh its offerings automatically going forward.

When Freeplay was initially launched in early 2023, it was called FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV). It was exclusively a live-channel offering at that time. Google TV began branding its collection of channels as Freeplay in late summer 2024, and the new entertainment options are now appearing about two years afterwards. At the time of the name change, Freeplay offered more than 150 live TV channels for free with ads. The new update means it now has roughly double the number of live TV channels along with its new on-demand library of movies. It's the first time Freeplay has offered live channels and on-demand titles at the same time.