Are Big Networks Afraid of Google TV?

Today I read that large cable and TV networks are fearful of GoogleTV.

Why are they so afraid? Is it because they operate in an old style advertising lead network? Is it because they are afraid Google will force them to evolve? Afraid of changing the way they have been doing things for 50+ years?

Simple answer is YES!

GoogleTV plans to offer the viewer unlimited options allowing you to search the internet through your TV. Basically, the idea is they will sell TVs with Google enabled web browsers and keyboards so you can type in your search and get the streaming video right into your TV. I looked at this intro video. In a nutshell they are making your TV a web browser but instead of having to own a device to see the web like the computer, iPad or iPhone you will be plugged in directly to your TV. Think mega-sized-computer-screen if you own a large 46″ plus TV! Wow, that would be cool.

You can watch your game, downsize the video and, at the same time look up stats on your team on the web page… or, you can view  a news story while tweeting about it in real time with friends around the world. You have all the videos on the internet at your fingertips (think youtube, hulu, etc…) and all your photo viewing programs like picasa, Flickr, Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc… all right there for you to see or share with your friends.

That brings up the other side of having all this technology in your living room. Being a mother and having a house with other people sharing the same TV, I can tell you the problems will start very quickly. I happen to have one of the newer TVs that can go to the internet with a browser. It is definitely NOT Google by any means but you can browse certain things… I say certain things because I haven’t had the chance to really sit down and play with it. Why? Because I have a husband and a daughter who would rather watch their shows.  They get bored watching me play around with it– so basically the browser is never used.

I can just hear the arguments from people fighting over the keyboard (instead of the remote)

OK. The geek in me says the Google TV sounds like a great idea. The only problem I see with it is what I mentioned above. The TV tends to be where families gather to watch something together. Having so much control over the bazillion things you can watch on the internet is very intriguing, but I do not think it will bring families together, and it definitely will not help with the couch-potato pandemic sweeping the country.

I do agree that being able to just search for your favorite TV show is awesome. I already do that on my computer if I miss a show. I can always go to abc.com or fox.com and catch up (and with less commercial interruption!). Viewing it all in a large screen TV would definitely be a plus too. Mac actually pioneered this idea with their AppleTV. Oh yes! Apple thinks of all of these things first and then Google jumps in the bandwagon. The problem for Apple is that Google is a behemoth. Most elitists go for Apple, the world goes for Google. Sad but true. (Go Apple! )

The big cable TV conglomerates will need to adjust to the new era or be left behind. The music and print industries know this very well. Once the internet moves in, it is going to be an all out war. The way they generate money will have to change, and I am sorry to say that users  will suffer for it. We will inevitably have to view more ads online and pay for subscriptions to see our shows. Otherwise, how will they make the money to keep making expensive and cool TV? Early on, watching TV shows in abc.com for example, there were no ads! Now you watch any show and they plug in 4 to 5 areas where they place ads and force you to look at them. The only cool thing is they tell you how long it is going to last and actually have a count down, but still, they are annoying. Get ready for more of the same.

The buzz is going crazy on the internet about this Google TV. It even made headline news across the country! As one writer for the Los Angeles Times put it “…whenever new technology emerges that allows consumers more choices, it is inevitably a destructive experience for the companies making money off the old model, since they are the ones who find it most difficult to embrace and take advantage of the sweeping changes.” See the story here and also take a look at the comments.

We are talking a hot button for all things creative now. One comment says “If you go back a hundred years, actors earned money by actually doing live performances. Now, through the magic of TECHNOLOGY, they have been able to do one performance (~1 month of work) and make 20 million dollars. What technology giveth, it may also taketh away. By the way, the people who invented that technology that enable you to make a load of money, never made 1/100 of what the artistic exploiters made.” So true, but that is also the beauty of invention and capitalism!

There are a lot of contrasting and passionate views that this GoogleTV has touched upon. Having TV giants be afraid of an Internet company was unheard of 10 years ago. The truth is if you do not embrace new technology you WILL BE LEFT BEHIND. It is true for the internet, for your career, for everything you do and use. It is everywhere. Sitting there and closing yourself to it will do you no good. The good news is you can pick and choose what you want to deal with (like fuel efficient cars) and what you don’t (like 3-D TV LOL!!).

To me, the real worry is what will these big companies do to control what we can or cannot have access to and if they will be able to charge us for it. That’s in a near future, as for now, I can still plug in my Xbox to my HDTV and watch Netflix or get on Facebook and send likes to all my friends… and I don’t need GoogleTV to do so.