Google TV is rolling out a few partnerships and promotions including a new agreement with Pluto TV, an ad-supported streaming service owned by ViacomCBS.
Google TV will soon have access to more than 300 free linear Pluto TV channels on their devices through a new integration in the Live tab. The company said Pluto TV will be available on all Google TV devices—including Chromecast with Google TV and smart TVs from Sony and TCL—in the coming weeks.
Google also announced a new partnership with NBCUniversal for Peacock, the programmer’s ad-supported streaming service. For a limited time, users who activate a new Google TV and any other Android TV OS device in the U.S. can get Peacock Premium at no cost for six months—after that, it jumps up to $4.99 per month but users can cancel at any time.
RELATED: Deeper Dive — Why YouTube should launch a FAST
Google promised to add more ways to watch free content in 2022.
According to a new report from The Information, YouTube is talking with companies including Brat TV, Vox Media and Pocket.Watch about launching channels on the virtual MVPD. By doing so, YouTube could grab more of the ad dollars flowing toward connected TV without adding to the cost of its multichannel service, which currently charges subscribers $64.99 per month.
The latest rumors about YouTube’s ambitions in the free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) space comes after a September report from Protocol about the company’s plans to add a FAST—similar to Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Pluto TV and Tubi—to its Google TV platform.
According to the report, Google has held discussions with programming partners about building a lineup of linear streaming channels for a service could arrive in early 2022.