The Apple TV Plus subscription streaming service is now supported by the new Google TV operating system.
Subscribers to Apple’s $4.99-a-month SVOD offering can now watch it on Chromecast with Google TV, as well as Sony and TCL smart TVs powered by the new Google TV OS.
“We plan to roll out to more Android TV-powered devices in the coming months,” said Jonathan Zepp, director of media and entertainment for Google’s Android and Google Play products.
Apple TV Plus original series including Ted Lasso now surface in the platform’s curated recommendations. Users can also open the Apple TV Plus app and search for programming the service via Google Assistant voice commands. And they can store Apple TV Plus shows for later viewing on the platform’s watchlist.
Also read: Android TV Still a Non-factor in Connected TV, Report Shows
After a slow start, Apple TV Plus seems to have found momentum with its limited number of original series and movies. UK-based research company recently pegged the SVOD service’s customer count at around 43 million, although many of those customers are getting the service free as part of a promotion for purchasers of Apple hardware.
Extending the reach of the service to Google’s OTT device ecosystem, however, might provide only marginal benefit. A recent Conviva report on which OTT devices were most used to stream the Super Bowl showed that only around 5% were using an Android TV or Chromecast box.
Google is aiming to rebrand and evolve Android TV into Google TV, which has more advanced search and recommendation features. The company has already started to merge the appearance of the two operating systems through its Android TV upgrades.
