Google today announced a new TV channel on its Live tab and at the same time announced several updates to its TV operating system (OS).

The recent upgrades include better storage optimization, streamlined speed with on-device memory usage, and Live TV updates, all of which make Google TV much less stressful and easier to use.

These improvements, announced in a blog post on Tuesday, have already landed on devices that utilize the OS.

Google announced a new advent calendar that will offer daily surprises through December 25. The company aims to bring "holiday cheer directly to your living room" through the Holidays category of its Live tab feed, which is linked to the advent calendar.

The improved Live tabs will also be a welcome surprise for Google TV users. These add-ons will make it easier for users to access the live TV channels they watch most often and receive news updates the moment they turn on their TV.

The addition of 14 new channels will also allow Google TV users to enjoy significantly more of the 800 free channels available on the service. Newly added channels include DraftKings, Speedvision, and the Xumo Holiday Movie channel. There will also be a "Best of 2023" tab, where the year's best shows, music, and movies will be easily accessible.

Google has not shied away from continuing to optimize its platform, making several improvements over the past year, including the addition of NFL Sunday Ticket and game upgrades. The tech conglomerate said it will continue its efforts to improve Google OS through 2024.

Also notable in the recent Google TV update are significant enhancements in speed and storage. The company explains that it has optimized both the memory usage on the device and the device's setup parameters to ensure that the OS runs smoothly without bottlenecks.

Google is currently working to significantly reduce the storage used during initial startup, making it easier for users to store more content and apps on their devices. This will also make the TVs that use the OS less constrained, allowing users to move around more freely on the screen without lag or restriction.

To help Google TV run at a faster pace, several speed-related enhancements are being made to how the software uses the TV and device's onboard memory. The company explains that it has reorganized the recommendation line to further reduce the strain on internal memory and simplified the system applications to make the general user experience much smoother.

Google TV also displays search results faster, preloads movies and shows before the user starts scrolling, and streamlines the loading of new tabs for faster access. This makes the OS easier to use and more efficient, allowing users to access content at breakneck speeds.

These are all welcome additions considering how many complaints were received about Google TV's slowness in 2022-2023. The company has been working to fix these issues since August 2022, and incremental improvements like the performance upgrade in May of this year will be felt throughout the year.

With such great enhancements and many more planned, this may be a great time to pick up one of the best Google TVs of the year, the Sony Bravia XR A95K, or the Chromecast itself.