Amazon Music and IMDb TV arrive on Chromecast with Google TV

Whatever beefs Google and Amazon have carried in the past, it really feels as if the two companies have finally buried the hatchet. It is getting easier and easier to find #madebygoogle products on Amazon’s storefront and Amazon is slowly but surely bringing its digital streaming products to Google’s various hardware platforms. Amazon’s Prime Video finally gained Cast support back in 2019 and a few months later, Google returned the favor by bringing YouTube TV to Amazon’s Fire TV devices. The two have even teamed up with other major players in the hopes of creating an industry standard for smart home devices. Yes, it seems that Google and Amazon have finally learned to play nice and now, you can access two more Amazon services on your Chromecast w/Google TV and Android TV devices.

Amazon Music

Amazon Music – Amazon’s answer to YouTube Music, Spotify, and Apple Music – is a monthly streaming service that runs $9.99 as standalone or $7.99 for Prime members. While I’ve never used the service myself, it is popular among consumers and the fact that Google is willing to bring it to Google TV is an indicator that the folks in Mountain View understand the need for diversity of applications inside its own hardware ecosystem. As of last Thursday, the Amazon Music app should be available for the Chromecast w/Google TV and compatible Android TV devices in the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia.

IMDb TV

The second Amazon service to arrive on Google TV and Android TV devices is one that I actually didn’t know existed. Apparently, the popular online database IMDb launched a streaming service a couple of years ago, and even more surprising, it’s completely free. IMDb TV is an ad-supported streaming platform that offers a wide variety of content like blockbuster films, big-name network franchises (like The Walking Dead), and a ton of classic television shows. It is 100% free and you don’t even have to have an Amazon account.

We fired up the Google TV and under the app section, the new IMDb TV app is right there front and center. I clicked into a movie and was pleasantly surprised to see that the ads are very minimal considering the service costs nothing. Now, I’m not trying to sell IMDb TV but I will tell you that it has been added to my list of streaming platforms. You never know when that one movie you’ve been wanting to watch but can’t find may pop up on one of these free services and I’m happy to add it to the family.