New York – Google (NASD: GOOG) is having difficulty securing partnerships
with TV networks for its new Google TV software, as some see it as potentially
cannibalizing their existing business and lacking in a solid plan to turn a
profit, The Wall Street Journal reports. Expected to launch in the fall, the
service will exist in Google-developed software on set-top boxes made by Sony (NYSE: SNE),
Logitech and others, and let viewers search listings for programming available
on broadcast and cable networks, as well as Web video.
Google reportedly in
recent weeks met with ABC (NYSE: DIS), CBS (NYSE: CBS), NBC (NYSE: GE) and Fox (NYSE: NWS), seeking better integration of
their respective online video sites with Google TV, to facilitate searches.
Google
executives are reportedly waiting to generate usage before figuring out a
business model for the listings, sources told The Journal, which also reported that
some media companies are discussing whether to block services like Google TV through
technological means.
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(WSJ)
