Taking one more step into the broadcasting world, Google is planning a web-based TV service in partnership with tech giants like Intel, Logitech and Sony. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the Google TV effort is in its preliminary stages.
p
The industry behemoths are reportedly collaborating on software that will help users navigate web-based video programming on traditional television sets. The software would offer a platform on which other developers could launch programs, the Journal reported. The technology could show up in future TVs, Blu-ray players or set-top boxes.
p
The movement of web content to TV or the emergence of TV as a platform for accessing the web is already happening and will continue to gain momentum, said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. Google as well its partners want to be a part of that movement as it goes mainstream.
p
subhead
Google vs Apple
/subhead
p
The Journal report is further evidence that Google is moving to dominate on yet another screen: The television. Google is also reportedly testing a service that runs on TV set-top boxes that host its software and enables viewers to find shows on Dish Network and video on web sites like YouTube. Google’s experiment offers the search giant access to 14 million Dish viewers, signaling the potential to yield valuable results.
p
With 168 million U.S. Internet users watching online videos in September, according to comScore, and nearly 26 billion videos viewed during a month, the opportunity is clear. And with the convergence of broadcast and Internet video, the opportunity is drawing plenty of attention from startups and industry giants alike.
p
Apple launched Apple TV in January 2007 as a way to let consumers wirelessly play iTunes content from a Mac or PC on a widescreen TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts. The Apple…