Chromecast is bringing more and more content from your mobile device or computer to your TV, and now supports over 100 channels of live TV thanks to PlayOn.
Google’s Chromecast has become the standard bearer for streaming devices–especially since the explosion of 3rd party app support came as a result of the release of the Chromecast SDK back in February.
The demand for streaming internet media services is only going up, with the popularity of Netflix, Hulu, and other similar Chromecast supported services increasing. This is evident in cable subscription numbers, with 2013 marking the first year pay-TV services–such as cable and satellite–have witnessed a net loss in subscribers.
The biggest issue with streaming internet services is the lack of live content. Netflix and Hulu may have great media libraries, but traditional pay-TV services are still a powerhouse when it comes to live content. Many TV subscribers have yet to become cord cutters solely due to to the traditional broadcast schedule enjoyed by pay-TV services.
PlayOn, a streaming service that intends to close the gap between streaming and pay-TV service is now available for Chromecast. PlayOn costs $29.99 a year, or $59.99 for a lifetime membership. The service requires the app be installed on your mobile device as well as an app on your PC in order to function properly.
PlayOn supports over 100 channels, meaning it could hypothetically substitute for most cable subscriptions, but the service does require a cable subscription for many of the available channels, much in the same way each channel currently requires a cable subscription for their own standalone streaming services, making PlayOn not much more than a conglomeration of existing streaming services at the end of the day.
While PlayOn may provide the on-the go streaming service demanded by many people, it is clearly not a full solution for cord cutters since PlayOn depends on the existence of a cord in order to properly function. For someone that currently subscribes to a pay-tv service and doesn’t want to depend on the standalone app for each channel, PlayOn would provide substantial unification of their services.
For anyone looking to cut the cord, yet still catch their favorite show when it airs, there is no easy solution outside of subscribing to a major TV provider, but the demand for streaming services will continue to put pressure on the content providers to provide their content in a more a la carte fashion.
Source: Android Central
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