Of course, there are still some notable standouts from the list such as HBO GO and Vudu. The availability of the new apps is also highly dependent on the device you are using. For instance, only select Android TV devices can access Showtime and HBO NOW apps at the moment. A consumer using a Sony television with Android TV can access those two apps while a consumer with a Nvidia Shield is still out of luck for now.
Speaking about the launch of new hardware that utilizes the Android TV platform, George Audi, the business development manager for Google Play, said “We’re adding to your list of options by welcoming Hisense, TCL, and several other smart TV manufacturers to the
This announcement also includes the Nexus Player platform. Google was notably silent about the future of the set-top box during the recent Nexus conference, instead focusing on a revision of the Chromecast hardware. Interestingly, several major retailers have been aggressively marking down the Nexus Player as of late to roughly half the original $99 MSRP.
This may be related to competing set-top box hardware coming out from Amazon, Apple and Roku this year. Amazon will actually halt all sales of the Nexus Player at the end of the month, a shift that’s attempting to eliminate sales of products competing against the Fire TV line.
