Google TV, Revisited
October 24th, 2010
Google TV is back in the news. Apparently ABC, NBC and CBS have decided to block the Google TV platform. What this means is, while you can go to Hulu and watch programs on these networks, you can go to the networks’ actual sites and watch, they are blocking users from watching their programming on Google TV, which uses a limited version of the Google Chrome browser.
This seems to be to be a pretty ridiculous thing to do. What’s the point? Google TV users are going to do one of several things:
1. Find some way around the block (they’ve already done this once, only to have the networks find another way to block Google TV)
2. Go to an unauthorized streaming site and watch whatever they want
3. Potentially go back to their DVRs and watch, meaning that they will be fast forwarding through the commercials.
Why blocking Google TV is just stupid:
1. The networks will be ticking off a large portion of viewers, viewers = revenue
2. If you allow the Google TV platform, viewers cannot fast forward commercials
3. As they have already done, users will simply find a way around the block
4. Not embracing the web will backfire on them. Web tv is here, the networks are going to have to face the fact that providing good content is what will matter in the long run.
5. Analytics, you’ve got to know that with Google TV will come data. This data will surely provide advertisers with information on viewers, where they came from, what other shows they have watched, what sites they have visited. All this data can and will be used to develop highly targeted marketing – marketing that will be served up, platter style to the captive audiences who cannot fast forward when watching Google TV.
Basically, what needs to happen here is that the networks need to get it together. To me, this is them running scared. The web is a great big place, they think they can remain on top by blocking users? Forcing people to watch only where they want them to? If they want to continue to be the brands that provide entertainment, they are going to have to allow unrestricted access to their content. Viewers/users will still have to sit through commercials, but networks are probably figuring out that they won’t be getting paid by carriers the way they are now by cable television. They want to be able to make money from commercials, as well as from the cable companies. What they are not considering is that they may need to change the way they provide their audiences with content, or they are going to loose viewers to the many, many other video sources available on the internet, not the least of which are the less than legit streaming sites where anyone can go watch virtually anything, commercial free. Are you listening, ABC, NBC and CBS execs?
