Google TV’s new free ‘Channels’ update in the UK makes it easier to drop the aerial – with one big problem
If you’re a UK viewer with the Google TV Streamer or a Chromecast device, you should now have the new Channels tab on your device. That means instant, easy access to all the UK’s big broadcasters all streamed to your TV, with no aerial or satellite cable required… or at least it should. There appear to be some key omissions.
If you check out the Channels tab you’ll see the familiar logos of ITV and its regions, such as STV in Scotland. Channel 5’s there too. But so far there aren’t any live channels, and there’s no Channel 4. So the dream of ditching your TV aerial completely hasn’t quite been delivered.
What UK channels are available in Google TV’s Channels?
As 9to5Google reports, Channel 4 isn’t there because it isn’t yet available on the Android TV platform; and the BBC wants you to use its iPlayer app, which isn’t yet available on the Google TV Streamer, but iPlayer is supported on other devices, such as the Chromecast and the best TVs with Google TV from the likes of Sony and TCL.
Channels will ultimately host channels from the BBC, ITV (and regions: STV in Scotland and UTV in Northern Ireland), Really, Discovery and other free to air broadcasters. To tune in to a channel you’ll need to have the appropriate app installed; if you don’t, you’ll be taken to its page on the Play Store so you can download it.
9to5Google also points out that many apps require you to have an account, so the quick launch buttons will take you to a login page rather than straight to the channel. This also happens on my Apple TV 4K, and it’s very annoying with iPlayer in particular.
The new Channels are welcome, but the options available to UK users still trail very far behind the ones available in the US: there, Google TV viewers get lots of live channels – more than 800 the last time we counted. And while many of them are of the daytime TV variety it’d be nice to have more options here in the UK too.