Google TV

Google TV’s free channels have a new name as ‘Freeplay’ starts rolling out

Ben Schoon | Sep 14 2024 - 11:22 am PT

After adding a few more new channels recently, Google TV has started rolling out “Freeplay” as a new home for its free, ad-supported TV channels.

Google first started rolling out free, ad-supported TV channels (FAST) to Google TV devices in early 2023. At the time, there were 80 channels to choose from, a number that’s grown in the time since. As of September 2024, there are 150 total channels available.

Rolling out now to Google TV devices such as Chromecast and TV sets from TCL, Hisense, and more, “Freeplay” is the new name of Google TV’s built-in free channels.

This branding is currently present under the “Live” tab of the Google TV homescreen, at least for users in the United States where these free channels are available – there’s no word on when they might expand to other regions. We’ve seen previously that Google may also use this new “Freeplay” branding on the main homescreen, ~~but currently the same “Free TV Channels” is still in use. That’s probably for the best, as it quickly describes what users are seeing.~~

Update 9/14: Google has also started rolling out the “Freeplay” branding to the homescreen icon, as pictured below.

Functionally, this branding doesn’t change anything, but it does open the door to Google TV potentially adding other sorts of free content in the future. For instance, it’s not out of the question for other free content the company offers, such as free on-demand movies from YouTube, to be integrated into this. But, for now, it’s just about free TV channels.