Google TV’s latest update simplifies the TV show purchasing process by centralizing it through YouTube. While this change might require some adjustment from users who were accustomed to buying TV shows directly through Google TV, the continuity of access to existing content and the ability to still purchase movies on Google TV should mitigate some of the disruption.
Google TV has announced that it will no longer support the purchase of TV shows through its app on any platform. This change affects all devices running Google TV OS, Android TV OS, and the Google TV app on Android devices. Users will now need to use YouTube for purchasing TV shows, irrespective of the device they are using.
The new policy shift means that TV shows can only be bought through YouTube from now on. Google stated on its support page, “We are making some changes to how you purchase TV shows from Google TV.”
This transition does not impact access to TV shows previously purchased or rented. Users will still be able to view their existing content, including active rentals and entire TV seasons, on all platforms where Google TV is supported.
Despite the discontinuation of TV show purchases on Google TV, users will retain access to all their previously purchased TV shows and movies. These will remain available for viewing on Google TV devices, Android TV devices, the Google TV mobile app for Android and iOS, as well as on YouTube. This ensures that existing purchases will remain synchronized across platforms.
The change will not affect movie purchases or rentals. Users will still be able to buy and access films on Google TV, which will continue to be available across all supported platforms. Google confirmed that while TV show purchases are moving exclusively to YouTube, the availability of films remains unaffected by this update.
Going forward, any TV shows purchased on YouTube will only be accessible through the YouTube app or on the YouTube website. This means that although the purchase process has shifted to YouTube, the management and viewing of these TV shows will be restricted to YouTube’s ecosystem.