Google TV gives NFL Sunday Ticket top billing, adds FAST channels

By Phil Nickinson August 23, 2023

Google TV free channels. — Google / Google

Google announced today that all Android TV and Google TV devices in the U.S. are getting more than 25 new free channels, baked right into the operating systems’ Live tabs. That brings the total number of built-in FAST channels to more than 100, meaning that you’ll be able to watch all kinds of free content without having to download a single thing. It’s all built in.

FAST channels refer to free, ad-supported television and can be individual shows or entire channels of content. Google didn’t immediately name the 25-plus channels, but said they include the BBC and Lionsgate. (You can see a big list of them here.) And that’s on top of the others that were added in the spring, which brings a ridiculous 800 or so channels (more or less) to the platform. Whether they have what you want to watch? That’s completely up to you. But it’s free.

NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. — Google / Google

And on the sports front, look for NFL Sunday Ticket to have increased presence on the Google TV home screen, thanks to “full integration.” That’s an unsurprising move given the importance of NFL Sunday Ticket now that it’s moved from DirecTV. The subscription service — which costs several hundred dollars for the full season — allows NFL fans to watch out-of-market Sunday games. It’s not quite carte blanche because blackout rules still apply if a home team doesn’t sell out its stadium, but it’s pretty darn close.

NFL Sunday Ticket is available as part of YouTube TV, or on YouTube proper. The NFL Sunday Ticket price varies a little depending on whether you subscribe via the former, or the latter. The first Sunday to take advantage of NFL Sunday Ticket will be September 10. (The season starts the previous Thursday with Detroit at Kansas City, on NBC.)

And if you subscribe via YouTube TV, you’ll get all the Sunday games in the channel guide, so they’re easy to find.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Section Editor, Audio/Video

Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…

Audio / Video

What is Android TV? Google’s smart TV platform fully explained

Hisense 70A6G 70-inch 4K UHD Android Smart TV in living room on stand.

When it comes to smart TVs, these monolithic QLEDs and OLEDs require an internet connection to get you connected to services like Netflix and Disney+. But like any good computer or mobile phone, there’s an operating system taking care of apps, navigation, and all things user interface-oriented behind the scenes. For Samsung TVs, this OS is called Tizen, for LG TVs, it’s webOS, and for brands like Sony, TCL, and Hisense, it used to be called Android TV, but now (for the most part) it’s called Google TV.

While Google TV is really just an evolutionary leap based on the building blocks of Android TV, you’ll still see the Android TV moniker on a modern TV or two. Many modern home theater projectors also use the Android TV OS. That being said, it’s a platform that’s still relevant. Here’s everything you need to know about Android TV.
An important note on Android TV and Google TV

Audio / Video

Google TV vs. Roku TV: which is the better streaming OS?

Roku Streaming Stick 4K.

Whether you're looking for a new TV or streaming device, two of the leading smart TV platforms and user interfaces you'll be choosing from are Google TV and Roku TV. Both of these content and navigational platforms are excellent options, with many shared pros between them.

For years, Google has provided the building blocks to smart TV brands from Sony to Hisense under that Android TV banner. Presently, the structural framework of the Android TV system is giving way to an all-new Google operating system known as Google TV. You'll find Google's latest OS running on Sony, Hisense, and TCL TVs, as well as first-party Google devices like the Chromecast with Google TV 4K and Chromecast with Google TV (HD).

Audio / Video

MrBeast is giving away 1,000 NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions — and a Super Bowl trip

MRBeast in a video announcing NFL Sunday Ticket contests.

You had to know that NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube would at some point intersect with some of the biggest stars on YouTube, right? To that end, you can start looking for QR codes on select videos on the MrBeast channel — as well as on the NFL YouTube channel. There are 1,000 codes buried in old videos, and if you're the first to scan one, you'll get a free subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket this season (hat's worth about $450 retail).

So you'll want to be quick about it.