Google released its Chromecast in Europe on Tuesday, almost eight months after its release in the U.S.
The Chromecast device costs 30 pounds ($50) in the U.K. and 35 euros in other European countries, according to CNET. The device is cheaper than competitors such as the Roku Streaming Stick and Apple TV.
The ten European countries that Chromecast was released in include Denmark, France, Germany, Finland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the U.K. The device is now available in Canada, as well. Google will open up platforms to developers, and 3,000 have already signed up to create content, the India Times reported.
The device plugs into an HDMI port on the television and lets users send videos from smartphones, tablets, and laptops to their TVs, the India Times reported. Consumers will be able to watch videos from YouTube and movies from Netflix. Content will also vary in different countries, since consumers in the U.K. can use the device to watch shows from the BBC and consumers in France can use it for FranceTV Pluzz and SFR TV.
Suveer Kothari, the British director of global business development for the Chromecast at Google, talked about the convenience the device provides in letting people access content, the Guardian reported.
"Chromecast is all about speed and simplicity," Kothari said. "It's about making it really quick and easy to access the content you want on the big screen. Chromecast is really driven by second screen devices like mobile phones and tablets, which consumers are already comfortable with, and allow you to do things that would not be possible with a regular remote."
Pascal Lechevallier, the founder of the consultancy What's Hot, said Chromecast is a great tool to use for watching multi-channel networks from YouTube on the main TV of the consumers' homes, the India Times reported. Lechevallier added that Google needs to take advantage of video ads as they are screened on TV.
"History is changing, and the video offering online is going to become even larger," Lechevallier said.
