Google just rolled out its annual Best of 2025 collection on Google TV platforms, showcasing the year's most-watched entertainment across streaming services. The collection, live today across Google TV devices and apps, highlights breakout hits like Superman, Reacher, and Love Island USA while introducing new free channels to Google TV Freeplay. It's Google's answer to year-end streaming wars as platforms compete for holiday viewing attention.
Google is making its play for holiday streaming dominance with the launch of its Best of 2025 collection, now live across Google TV devices and mobile apps. The annual roundup arrives as streaming platforms battle for year-end viewing attention, with Google positioning itself as the central hub for cross-platform entertainment discovery.
The collection reveals some fascinating viewing patterns from 2025. Action dominated the movie charts, with the new Superman film leading alongside heist-comedy The Pickup and supernatural thriller Sinners. These titles represent content that broke through the increasingly crowded streaming landscape to capture mainstream attention.
On the TV side, survival and reality programming ruled viewer preferences. Amazon's Reacher and HBO's The Last of Us continued their streaming dominance, while Peacock's Love Island USA proved reality dating shows remain appointment television. The mix suggests audiences gravitated toward both escapist action and human drama during 2025.
Google is also expanding its free content strategy with new channels joining Google TV Freeplay. SNL Vault, The Real Housewives Vault, and American Ninja Warrior now stream 24/7 at no cost, representing Google's push to compete with free ad-supported streaming services like Tubi and Pluto TV. According to the company announcement, these channels are currently US-only but signal Google's broader free content ambitions.
The timing isn't coincidental. With cord-cutting accelerating and streaming subscription fatigue setting in, free content becomes increasingly valuable for platform stickiness. Google is betting that aggregating free channels alongside paid service recommendations will keep users within its ecosystem rather than jumping between individual streaming apps.
Perhaps most interesting is Google TV's new Advent Calendar feature, an interactive experience that reveals a different holiday movie or show each day in December. It's a clever gamification of content discovery that could boost engagement during the crucial holiday viewing season when families gather around screens.
