Android TV is getting a new Shop tab. The general idea here is to offer an easier and quicker way for users to find content that’s available to rent and/or buy on an Android TV device.
Generally speaking, it is not that difficult to find something to buy on Android TV. Users can navigate to the movie or show they want to rent or buy and then click to see which options are available.
While easy enough, Google is looking to streamline the process even more by promoting shopping to the status of a top-level menu item. With the new Shop tab available, Android TV users can navigate directly to a section that’s entirely focused on video purchases and rentals.
Basically, this section will remove any and all traces to streaming services that you either are already subscribed to or that Google recommends to you. Of course, the downside here is that you may end up purchasing a movie or video that you do already have access to through a streaming service.
Even though the primary goal with this new tab is to shop, it is also designed to make it easier to access content that you’ve purchased in the past. Within the new Shop tab there will also be a Your Library option in the first row, where users can browse through all of their purchased content.
This new Library section will include all purchases made from the associated Google account, and regardless of whether they were made using YouTube, other Google TV and Android TV devices, or even the Google TV mobile app.
According to Google, the new Shop tab has started rolling out to Android TV devices today, and the goal is for all users in the U.S. and globally to have gained access over the next few weeks.
