Google has announced the launching of  the Google TV app in Africa and is finally available on iOS. The tech giant equally confirmed that the Google TV app on Android is now available in over 100 countries, and will expand even further soon.

The rollout of Google TV as a whole has been one that’s a bit hard to keep track of, as things vary depending not only on country, but also language and platform. Google TV launched exclusively in the US in 2020, and the mobile app didn’t expand further until almost a year later, replacing the Play Movies & TV app as it rolled out.

In late 2021, Google announced that the Google TV app on Android was expanding to 14 new countries, for a total of 15. Those countries included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA.

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Speaking to 9to5Google, Google has confirmed that the Google TV experience on Android is now available in over 100 countries. Google made this expansion quietly over the past several months, with the full list of supported regions listed below.

Google also says that all remaining regions with the Google Play Movies & TV app will get the revamped Google TV in the “coming months.” The iOS app is also available in the same regions listed below.

Aside from availability across countries in North America,  others covered are Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK.

In Asia-Pacific, the countries covered are Australia, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

In Latin America & Caribbean, the countries covered are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

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In Africa, Middle East, and India, the countries covered are Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, UAE, Zimbabwe.

Countries yet to be supported include Aruba, Brazil, New Zealand, South Africa, and South Korea.

The Google TV app also picked up a redesign earlier this month, bringing “Highlights” to the app as well as a revamped user interface. That update brought a news feed with articles and announcements related to your viewing history.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

South Africans are in for good deal love in television and home entertainment systems Google expands access across the country. According to Nielsen the average citizen is watching 165 minutes a day on top of working from home, home schooling and other adulting duties and that’s discounting the amount of time spent on mobile devices. With close on three hours of viewing time each day a quality television makes all the difference and it’s a big reason behind the rising popularity of Google and Android TV sets in the country.

TCL South Africa’s Marketing Manager Ryan Curling says that Google TV is completely changing the viewing experience. “Watching TV just got a lot more interactive and for today’s always on, time starved consumer, Google TV is ticking all the boxes. Users no longer need to scroll through streaming services to find something new to watch. If you have a Google profile, it’s a few quick steps to set yours up, and literally have all your favourite shows and apps at your fingertips.”

Google can inform you of the weather right now, update you on the latest sports results, tell you a joke, entertain your kids or play your latest Spotify playlist if you’re in the mood for listening rather than viewing.

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TCL South Africa has only been in the country for less than eight weeks but already has an impressive array of Google enabled TVs. Muhammed-Izhaar Ebrahim, Sales Manager for TCL South Africa says that their P725 and its C725 models both have full Google TV functionality with the P725 offering a 4K, HDR 10 professional audio-visuals, with MEMC (motion estimate and motion compensation) picture processing which offers smooth imagery for sports and fast-action sequences. Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos facilities provides viewers with an exciting immersive experience. The devices are powered by an impressive AiPQ Engine Chipset to ensure every signal frame presents perfectly.

“Both the P725 and the C725 also feature Google Assistant and Hands-Free voice control, allowing users to access, launch, and control content, turn on TVs, switch inputs, adjust the volume, search for favourite content and more from a distance – leading to a more enhanced entertainment experience,” says Muhammed.

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Google Assistant comes standard, and it’s operated by an always-listening mic built into the set. Don’t want your TV eavesdropping on your conversations? Just disable it with a switch on the back of the TV and operate the voice assistant by holding down a button on the remote.

Another great feature supported by Google TV’s is the consumer’s home screen features all their favourite apps, all in one place. It also displays tabs like the For You tab with suggestions on what to watch. For You will start with ‘top picks for you’ which the user can accept or reject with either a thumbs up or thumbs down depending on genre preferences.

“There are also over 1 000 Chromecast-enabled apps,” says Ryan. “You could cue up your favourite series to play on the living room TV right on your phone while getting ready in your bedroom, and it’ll be ready to watch when you get there!”

There are plenty of practical features to Google TV that make life easier and more fun. For instance, the Ambient Mode displays beautiful images of art and nature and allows the user to have their favourite personal pictures loop as a slide show of memories, pulled from Google photos.

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The Google Kids profile makes sure that youngsters watch what they should, when they should. Consumers can select kid-friendly apps, as well as set screen time limits, choose ratings and loads more to ensure safe viewing.

“Our Android TV model, the P615, is also a popular choice among consumers,” adds Ryan, “both the Google and Android models are focused on the smart TV segment and provide remarkable applications and functionality. 

With an impressive interface design and kids’ profile, our Google TV’s offer 700 000 movies and episodes with 7000 embedded apps,” he says. “With all that choice we may see those average daily viewing numbers exceed the current 165 minutes a day.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry