Google TV app debuts on iOS, expands into over 100 countries

More than a year after its launch in 2020, the Google TV app is now available to download on iOS. If you already have the company’s previous Google Play Movies and TV software installed on your phone, this app will replace it.

Google announced that the TV app is now available in over 100 countries. Still, it took the company almost a year after it launched in the US to move into other countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

The Google TV app aggregates and recommends content for various streaming platforms that users pay for in a single bundle. Google TV is for movies and TV shows content.

Though the Google TV app has a huge catalogue on its platform, including content from Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube Plus, and other big streaming platforms, Netflix (which seems to have dominated the streaming space) content is not yet available on Google TV.

The streaming giant had opted out of the deal, which would have been contrary to its goal of owning as much diverse content as possible to keep its streamers. Netflix, just like Google TV, is also into the business of licensing deals with other companies, including ABC and Disney.

As streaming has increased, tech giants have been betting big, launching their streaming platforms to make more money from their users and keep them glued to their products. Apple launched Apple TV a few years ago, and at the height of the pandemic, Disney launched Disney Plus to compete with HBO Max.

But, even as streaming has become very successful, as the space has become more congested, the market has become increasingly hard to predict.

Netflix shares dropped drastically in the first quarter and CNN had to fold up its CNN Plus, a streaming platform for its content, barely weeks after its launch.

Google had earlier given the Google TV app a facelift last month, a new design that now includes a Highlights section on the app.

The Google TV app is now available in the countries listed below:

North America

• United States, Canada

Europe

• Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK

Asia-Pacific

• Australia, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Latin America & Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Africa, Middle East, and India

• Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, UAE, Zimbabwe

Google TV is not yet available in Nigeria. The company said that it will be announcing even more expansion soon.

On the app, it’s possible to create watchlists around your favourite actors. And, as you rate movies and shows, the app will refine its suggestions. You’ll also find personalised feeds with links to news, reviews and more. Also, there’s a dedicated section for content you’ve purchased and rented from Google.