Buying or renting movies on Android TV has always been a bit of a fiddly process, requiring users to go through either the Play Movies & TV app, or the Google TV app, to watch premium content without subscribing to a streaming service.
To make life easier, Google has introduced a new “Shop” tab on Android TV that takes users directly to its library of films available to purchase or rent.
The move is really all about convenience, as users can click on the tab from the main interface, without needing to open up a separate app. Google said the Shop tab will be made available in the U.S. first, before rolling out globally in the coming weeks. It didn’t specify which regions will get the new feature, but reports elsewhere suggest it will become available in 23 markets besides the U.S.
Users will be happy to know that the Shop tab consolidates all of their previously purchased content from any of Google’s online stores, including YouTube, Google TV and the Google Play Movies and TV app. These can all be found in the “Library” section after clicking on the tab.
“Today, we are excited to introduce the new Shop tab on Android TV. The Shop tab lets you explore movies to buy or rent and make purchases directly on your Android TV,” Google stated in a blog post.
It wasn’t made clear if it’s possible to purchase titles from the Shop tab with Google Opinion Rewards credits, but considering that all of Google’s existing apps for renting and buying media support this, we expect the new tab will do so too.
Those who prefer to watch content from streaming services like Netflix probably won’t care very much about this update, but there are a number of Android TV users out there who like to avoid paying for subscriptions and instead just make the occasional purchase.
The new Shop tab appears to be part of a broader push by Google to streamline the process of buying and renting content on Android TV. Last year, the company removed the ability to purchase content from the Google Play store, and instead pointed consumers to the new Google TV app as the place to find it.
