Google TV is getting a major upgrade

Google today announced that all software features of its new Google TV Streamer have been expanded every Google TV deviceThese include a smart home control panel, a new sports page, and new Gemini-powered features.

The biggest upgrade for smart home users is the new Home dashboard. This smart home dashboard is accessed via a tile in the quick settings panel and lets you control devices connected to Google Home. You can do things like turn lights on and off or dim/brighten them, trigger a Movie Time automation, and adjust your thermostat from the remote.

The panel also lets you stream connected cameras live to your TV, and pop up a picture-in-picture notification when someone rings your video doorbell. (Only Google Nest doorbells show PIP, but Google says other compatible sound alerts will also send notifications.) You can read more about the panel in my Google TV Streamer review.

A new Sports Page in Google TV’s “For You” tab is a welcome addition this football season. It attempts to bring together all your sports content across all your services, including YouTube highlights, and serve you personalized recommendations. (This feature is only available in the US.)

Several Gemini-powered AI features announced with Google TV Streamer are coming to the Google TV ecosystem, including recaps, reviews, and season-by-season show breakdowns to help you choose what to watch. Ambient mode has been upgraded, adding the ability to create screensaver art with generative AI.

Google says there are now 150 free channels with Google TV Freeplay, the US-only FAST option integrated into the Google TV operating system, and an updated channel guide that lets you browse by genre and topic.

Google also announced that Google TV is the number one streaming platform globally, with over 270 million monthly active devices. It is expanding the platform to more countries — including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines — and working with more brands to add the platform to more hardware. These include Asus smart monitors, Epson, XGIMI and Vankyo projectors, and Hisense And TCL art televisions.