Google discontinues one of its most popular entertainment devices

RIP Chromecast

Chromecast with Google TV
(Image credit: Google / Future)
Quick Summary

Google has discontinued its Chromecast with Google TV, replacing it entirely with the Google TV Streamer.

The cheaper Chromecast with Google TV was available until last week, but the inventory has now been depleted and it's time to say goodbye.

When Google first revealed Chromecast back in 2013, the TV world was a very different place. Smart TVs packed with a multitude of streaming apps weren't anywhere near as readily available, and as such, the likes of the Google Chromecast and Amazon's Fire TV Stick very much had their place.

They were useful and allowed TVs that weren't smart enough to access the wealth of streaming services available, for a small amount of money – certainly considerably less than buying a new TV.

What's happened to Chromecast?

But Google launched its Google TV Streamer back in August of 2024 and that signalled the death of Chromecast. Amazon continues to sell its Fire TV Stick – thank god, because in our opinion there is still a market for these cheaper streaming sticks – but the Chromecast with Google TV has been deemed no longer a necessary.

The company revealed at the time that the Chromecast with Google TV would be discontinued once stock had depleted and we are afraid to tell you, that time has now come. As spotted by 9to5Google, the Chromecast with Google TV, both the 4K and HD version are listed as "no longer available" on the Google Store.

The report says the US Google Store was updated on Thursday 20 February, while the landing page for streaming only lists the Google TV Streamer rather than the Chromecast with Google TV options. The same applies on the UK Google Store.

The report also says that both the 4K Chromecast with Google TV from 2020 and the HD model from 2022 were available in some colours earlier last week, and remained significantly cheaper than the Google TV Streamer replacement. Still, the Google TV Streamer is more powerful, and offers support for various picture and audio formats, as well as Matter, allowing it to act as a home hub.

It's not all bad then, it's just that the Google TV Streamer is £99 in the UK, and that's quite a bit more expensive than the now discontinued Chromecast with Google TV that cost around £30 before its death. RIP Chromecast, we will miss you.

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Britta O'Boyle

Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.

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