Google has announced a new tab for Android TV that will make movie renting and purchasing easier, along with accessing already bought content.
The Shop tab is coming to Android TV systems around the world soon - having started to roll out in the US already. It might take a while to get to your country and specific Android TV model though.
It effectively shows movies offered by different digital stores in the same place, giving you a better way to buy something than having to wade through individual apps.
The new Shop tab also houses a Your Library rail, which will show all your purchases in the one place. That will include any bought content from third-party stores, plus YouTube and other Google TV and Android TV devices.
Apart from Google's own, it's not clear yet which digital stores will be supported by the new feature. It may depend on your region. It has been confirmed though that content in Your Library will also be downloadable through the Google TV app on mobile.
Over the coming weeks, the Shop tab will be available via an over-the-air update to Android TV devices. That includes TV models from the likes of Sony and Philips (in the UK). We're hoping it'll also be added to the Nvidia Shield TV Pro and other Android TV set-top-boxes and dongles, although that will likely be up to the individual manufacturer as some have customised system software.
It could well be the last feature push before Google starts to roll out Android TV 14. Currently in beta, the next major Android TV update will bring with it a stack of new features, including easier pairing of headphones, new accessibility options, more advanced display modes, and a stack of other tweaks.
It's not yet known when the full release of Android TV 14 might become available - and TV manufacturers may take even longer to push it to their sets. Indeed, some, such as Philips in the UK, might take the opportunity to adopt the Google TV platform instead.
