Ads are creeping into our day-to-day lives from every angle, and even with our best efforts, they are hard to avoid sometimes. While paying top-dollar for major subscription-based streaming services like Netflix will get rid of most, if not all, of the ads you’re bound to see, it may not be feasible to spend tons of money on many, if not even one,streaming serviceout there. Now, it seems like it doesn’t just branch out to streaming services alone, as streaming and smart devices have ads preinstalled in their operating system.They’re getting awful, and now Google TV is aggressively promoting its free, but ad-based, streaming channels by injecting them into your favorites row.
Advertising on smart devices began creeping into streaming devices in recent years, with Amazon starting the trend in earnest andGoogle TV seemingly jumping on board. In April,Google added over 800 free channelsthat were built in for everyone who had a Google TV device, and Android TV devices like the Nvidia Shield TV soon followed. You could avoid them, for the most part, but that’s no longer the case.
What’s the difference between Google TV and Android TV?
The lowdown on Google’s two TV platforms
Google today announcedthat it is introducing a new home screen icon on Android TV which, when pressed, opens a collection of its free TV channels. Previously, these channels had only been available through the Live tab onGoogle TVand Android TV devices, so a dedicated icon could help make them more discoverable. However, the Live tab will still be available and will continue to house free, ad-supported content from providers such as Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex, and Haystack News.
It appears you won’t get any say in whether or not this shortcut gets added to your favorites, as Google clearly says in its release that “you will see a shortcut to free channels in the Favorite Apps row on your home screen.” While it’s cool for people who want to find shows and content for free while using an old-school look of a TV guide, forcing it on people through their favorites is simply wrong, even if you can remove it after the fact. We understand that completely free channels have to be paid for somehow, but if you aren’t consuming that content, you shouldn’t be forced into seeing it take the space of things you actually want to be in your favorites row.
