Google TV to launch in UK
An “internet TV” service that allows people to switch between television and the web on the same set is to be launched in the UK by Google. — The “Google TV” innovation will also mean that viewers can watch material from catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Player on their main TV screen.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google had already outlined a U.S. Google TV launch and pursued a web-TV launch with Intel in 2010. Bringing the service to the UK extends that effort into a market where BBC iPlayer and ITV Player give the platform established catch-up viewing options.
First-order effects
- Google’s planned UK launch gives viewers a single television-screen route between web content and catch-up services from BBC iPlayer and ITV Player.
- BBC iPlayer and ITV Player gain distribution through Google TV rather than being limited to their existing viewing environments.
Second-order effects
- Google’s UK proposition depends on keeping major broadcaster catch-up services available, making those integrations central to its ability to sell web-and-TV viewing on one set.
- BBC iPlayer and ITV Player become more important partners in Google TV’s local offering, while Google becomes an additional interface between those services and viewers.
Third-order effects
- If web-TV platforms continue to secure broadcaster catch-up services, control of the television interface may become a strategic layer alongside control of the programming itself.
- The UK rollout points toward television sets functioning as hybrid access points, where broadcasters’ services and the open web compete for attention through a common screen.
The trend: Television is moving toward hybrid interfaces that combine broadcaster catch-up libraries with web access on the main screen.