One of two reasons Google hopes you’ll get a new Chromecast
Ever since it made started making (and, somehow, still hasn’t completed) the transition from Android TV to Google TV, Google has been looking for ways to entice viewers to buy a new Chromecast. Well, it has just come up with two of them.
The first is the integration of ViacomCBS-owned Pluto TV and its 300+ free, linear channels from various providers into Google TV’s Live tab. Users will also see recommendations for certain channels in their For You tab as well. It’s a service we at Android Police have enjoyed for a while and it’s already been a highlight on Amazon’s Fire TV service as well. Google TV users will see the Pluto channels roll in over the next several weeks.
What may be the larger appeal for the unconvinced, though, is the offer of a free Peacock Premium subscription for 6 months with the purchase of a new Chromecast with Google TV or another Android TV product. The promotion began during the week of Black Friday and runs through December 31, 2022. Android TV devices purchased as part of a pay TV plan are excluded from eligibility. You can see full terms here.
Peacock Premium, which usually costs $5 a month, includes a back catalog of TV series, movies, and other content spanning across more than 60,000 hours plus live access to sports and other events and next-day streaming of current NBC shows. It doesn’t include offline viewing and features limited advertisements.
In September, owner Comcast had proposed including Peacock as part of its larger distribution of NBCUniversal channels through YouTube TV to claim its 4 million subscriptions for increased revenue and viewership figures. The proposal eventually fell through in favor of keeping the original channel package in place.
We wouldn’t be surprised if this Google TV campaign came about as one of the downed dominoes in the wake of that kerfuffle.
Read Next
About The Author
