HBO Now may have been exclusive to Apple TV for a very short time, but it wasn’t long before it moved on. At this year’s Google I/O, it was announced that the streaming service would come to Android and Chromecast this summer.
Android devices saw HBO Now support arrive last month, and now it’s the Chromecast’s turn. This was announced alongside a whole slew of updates in a post by Chromecast director of global content Shanna Preve on the Google Chrome Blog.
While plenty of Chromecast users are going to be happy enough having their Game of Thrones or True Detective fix taken care of, that’s not the only new TV content coming to the Chromecast today. Both the Travel Channel and Food Network have added Chromecast support to their mobile apps as well.
If you’re worried about your kids not having enough to watch, Google has got you covered. Pokemon TV has also come to the Chromecast, so now “dozens of episodes featuring Ash and Pikachu are available for you to watch and rewatch as much as you like.”
Most people use the Chromecast to watch content, but that isn’t all the device is capable of, and to that end two new games are now available. Fit Flap uses a phone’s front-facing camera to “capture players flapping their arms,” while Catch Phrase Blitz is a digital adaptation of Hasbro’s Catch Phrase party game.
Last month Google made the Chromecast a more attractive option for the Wi-Fi challenged by releasing a wired Ethernet adapter for the streaming stick. The $15 adapter sold out almost immediately but is once again available for sale.
HBO Now has already been available via Amazon’s Fire TV devices in addition to Apple TV, but considering the Chromecast has now sold more than 17 million units to date, this will likely see a jump in the number of HBO Now subscribers.
