In a major update, Google has announced a dedicated “Shop” tab on Android TV, revolutionizing the way users can rent and buy movies. The Shop tab will allow users to browse, rent, and purchase titles directly from their television, significantly enhancing the movie-watching experience.
The new tab is designed to appear alongside Search, Home, Discover, and Apps in the main navigation. It will host movies that might not be available on other streaming services, providing users with the opportunity to buy or rent these titles without needing a subscription.
A notable feature of the Shop tab is the “Library” section, which gathers all videos purchased via the user’s Google account. This includes content bought from YouTube, other Google TV and Android TV devices, the Google TV mobile app, and Google Play Movies & TV.
The purchased or rented titles can be viewed directly from the Library on Android TV or from the Shop tab. Users also have the option to watch or download their desired movie onto their Android phone or tablet for offline viewing. Google handles all the purchases and rentals itself and has traditionally supported the Movies Anywhere digital locker service that enables movie playback across different software services and hardware platforms.
The Shop tab started rolling out in the U.S. today and will be available to Android TV users globally in the next few weeks. Google’s update comes amidst a noticeable growth in the Android TV ecosystem, with more than 110 million monthly active Android TV devices reported last year.
In addition to the Shop tab, Google is also preparing to roll out Android 14 to Android TV devices, which will include features like a top-level accessibility menu with options like text scaling, bold text, and color description. With the integration of the Shop tab, Google is clearly aiming to simplify the user experience and offer a more convenient way to rent or buy movies, a move that will certainly appeal to many in an increasingly fragmented streaming universe.