Google Play Movies & TV – and the Google Play brand in general – seems doomed. Google already removed the Play Movies & TV app from Rokus and other smart TV platforms last year and will now remove the Movies & TV section from the Play Store. The Play Store, which used to offer a large collection of content, now only sells apps and books.
So when you buy video content from Google, you use the Google TV or Google Play Movies & TV app to play content on Android, the Google Play Movies & TV app on iOS, and the YouTube app on third-party smart TVs like Roku. “Google TV”isn’t just the name of a phone app and video content store; it’s also the new name for the Android TV OS you can get on the new Chromecast (it’s also integrated into some Sony and TCL TVs). On these devices, your purchases are built into the operating system. Google Play Movies & TV will be completely dead if Google decides to shut down phone apps, and at this point it seems inevitable.
Apps, games and books remain in the Play Store. Google Play Books doesn’t have an alternative home yet, but don’t be surprised to hear about it soon.