Chromecast gets new CBS, HGTV, FOX Now, FXNOW, Pluto TV, and Haystack apps

Ever since Google launched the Chromecast in July 2013, the company has been steadily updating the HDMI dongle with new capabilities and features. Today, the company has announced six new apps for its $35 streaming media stick: CBS All Access, HGTV, FOX Now, FXNOW, Pluto TV, and Haystack.

While the last one is a news app (tuned specifically to your interests so that you can keep up with current events), the other five apps are all about TV content. As a Google spokesperson told us, Chromecast users now have more options: “They can binge through shows like Empire, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Americans, Property Brothers, and Fixer Upper.”

Chances are you won’t want to install all these apps, so here is the breakdown if you’re looking for a specific show:

• CBS All Access will get you shows like The Big Bang Theory and NCIS.
• HGTV will take care of Property Brothers and Fixer Upper.
• Fox Now has shows like Empire and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
• FXNOW, which really is a completely different service despite being just one letter away from Fox Now, can offer you The Americans and Louie.

Pluto TV is a bit different; it curates over 100 channels of news, music, sports, web, and TV shows. You can update your apps and find the latest by heading to chromecast.com/apps.

With Google I/O 2015 scheduled for later this month, we’re expecting more Chromecast news very soon. In fact, there’s are two developer sessions that hint at what’s to come: “Designing games for Google Cast” and “Creating games with the Google Cast SDK.”

The former will talk about “choosing the best Google Cast SDK technology for your game, designing for the mobile and television experience on multiple screens, and adapting existing game design patterns to a multi-screen interactive format” and the latter will discuss “creating compelling games for the living room using Android and iOS mobile devices as game controllers to unleash new interaction models for Chromecast and other Cast devices.” Today Chromecast users are getting more TV shows; tomorrow they can expect more games.