Google’s Reported Partnerships with Chip, TV Makers Seen Logical By FCC Watchers

Google’s reported plans to partner with Intel and Sony to bring its search and other software to TV sets and broadband-connected video devices didn’t come as a surprise to those who monitored the lobbying ahead of the National Broadband Plan, industry lawyers said. “Most companies involved in various aspects of video distribution are looking at the potential convergence of RF broadcast and IP delivery, and Google is one of those,” said Steve Effros, who consults for cable box maker Beyond Broadband Technology. “So it’s a logical thing for Google to be doing.” Google and Sony declined to comment on the reports, which appeared in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Intel didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Google’s support for a universal gateway device rulemaking (CD Feb 25 p14) was an indication of the company’s interest in the space, an industry lawyer said. “I think everybody sort of knew they want more eyeballs,” the lawyer said. Google already has audiences on two of the “three screens” that the media industry covets -- the computer and the mobile phone, the lawyer said: “The third area for them is the TV."

Getting Android or something like it onto TV sets and set-top boxes “has been the logical and likely outcome for a while,” said Paul Glist, a cable lawyer with Davis Wright: “To me it’s not very surprising.” Google’s reported involvement with TV makers, and also with Dish Network shows how crowded and competitive the set-top box space is becoming, Glist said. “It’s just another example of how much consumer choice is coming to the market without government getting involved,” he said.

Google seems to be covering it’s bases, an industry lawyer said. “From a regulatory point of view the question is, ‘where is Google placing its bets? On a retail or leased model?’ And it looks like it’s a little bit of both,” the lawyer said.

Just as companies like Google are looking to expand into the living room, so are traditional video distributors looking to expand onto new platforms, Effros said. “What they're doing makes all sorts of sense and I don’t think it should come as any surprise to anybody,” he said. “Nor should it come as a surprise that Comcast is looking at Xfinity.”