I personally can’t think of anything stupider for the big broadcast networks to do than give their shows to Google for free. Why ? Because they are finally getting BILLIONS of dollars in retransmission fees from their distributors. This is new money. It is found money. It is money they are fighting for.  Just ask Fox and Cablevision what they think of each other this week.

The idea that they would take and fight for money from their distributors, who generally are the same ISPs that Google TV delivers content over, and then offer the exact same shows for free through Google TV, or any aggregator that expects that content for free is probably one of the dumbest concepts ever.

Now if Google were to go to those networks and offer them money per month for every buyer of a Google enabled device or TV, that would be different. Then they would be a tv provider competing with the rest and they should take their money. Think Google will ever do that ? I don’t.

So giving the same content they not only charge their distributors for, but also charge their local affiliates for to Google for nothing or for a share of revenue ? STUPID.

If Google sticks to their guns of not paying up front for content like Netflix does, they will have handed Netflix the entire streaming universe on a platter.  Did anyone else see the report that Netflix streaming consumes 20pct of download throughput during weekday primetime hours ?

If this is true. Its one more reason to think that Netflix has won the streaming wars and those broadcast networks would be moronic to give their content online away for free. Why ?

First of all, do you know the difference between Netflix and Google when it comes to content ?  Netflix pays up front and offers minimum guarantees.  Google and everyone else for that matter, pays a commission based on ad sales. (which works wonderfully on Youtube for them)

So riddle me this batman. Netflix is on Google TV , correct ? Given that Netflix pays and Google TV doesn’t, why wouldn’t/shouldn’t the broadcast networks offer all of their shows to Netflix as a way to reach Google TV users, knowing that they will get paid for their content. Paid HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OR MORE for their content.

All you internet pundits want the broadcast networks to give the content away for free. THAT IS STUPID.  Get Netflix to pay you on a per subscriber basis on a par with what your other TV providers pay you. Netflix becomes a competitive TV provider. BRILLIANT. You get paid. You reach Google TV users and non Google TV users.

Of course you basically cede to Netflix control of the streaming content world. You give their streaming only subscriptions a unique value beyond old shows and movies. Goodbye Hulu as well.

Read more at paid content.org

Casey Harwood, Senior Vice President for Turner Broadcasting Europe, has sent a clear message to the online video services and Consumer Electronics markets that they need to recognize the value of television in its current form if they want to move the medium forwards. This echoes sentiments expressed by YouView CTO Anthony Rose at the same London event that denying the existence or importance of linear television, and trying to build TV platforms primarily around on-demand consumption, will only slow the migration to non-linear viewing.

In both cases, the advent of connected TV devices and the growth of hybrid broadcast broadband services was the focus of their attentions. “If you are in this business as a platform aggregator or a software solution provider or whatever, you need to bring enhancements to a system that works,” Harwood declared. “I believe television works and what matters is how your solution enhances it.”

Turner Broadcasting has just announced an important deal to make its content available via Google TV, the connected TV platform being launched in the US on Sony Internet TV, Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player and Logitech Revue STB-type devices. TBS, TNT, CNN and Cartoon Network are among the brands covered and Harwood points out: “The Google TV deal is good because it combines broadcast brands with linear programming.”

Indeed, Google TV has been designed to seamlessly integrate multichannel television with rich web media content. Sony Internet TV (with Google TV), both in its television and Blu-ray forms, goes out of its way to provide a complementary experience. One of the big innovations is Dual View, which allows consumers to navigate between websites and TV or look at both simultaneously on the same screen. That opens up a myriad of possibilities for interactive enhancements. Sony highlights the ability to watch a football game while tracking your fantasy team, or tweet about the TV show you are watching (via Twitter) or update your Facebook status while viewing a movie.

Another key feature of the Google TV powered Sony devices is seamless search across TV and the Internet. Like dual-screen, this integration is not available with an Apple TV device, for example. In the US, subscribers to the DISH Network satellite Pay TV service can even include their DVR recordings within the search results. DISH has already said it will make a Google TV based service available to its customers to encourage the fusion of the best web and managed network TV experiences within an advanced user interface.

Read more at v-net.tv