The idea of getting TV content through an Internet STB is nothing new but Google’s plans for a TV platform gives the emerging trend a little more heft. It could also give the trend a lot more capital if Google is making a serious run at the TV. But will Google be able to transport its Internet hegemony into the home, or will this ultimately be yet another niche Internet TV product?
Google’s plan for an Internet STB is certainly not the only one out there. Indeed, the field of options is rather crowded for a category that ships only about a million units a year (and likely won’t ever get much bigger). Roku leads the pack with its Netflix box, followed by Apple TV and a handful of other CE manufacturers like Sony and LG. Ultimately, DTC believes that Internet TV platforms will get integrated into traditional STBs, hence our conservative forecasts for stand-alone digital content appliances (DCAs).
Although its reported partners, Sony and Intel, are making the first Google TV STBs, key to Google’s success will be its ability to proliferate its underlying platform into the many Internet connected devices now hitting the market. Already Google has indicated it intends to keep its platform an open one for developers, to facilitate iPhone-like apps that can add content and functionality without Apple’s proprietary limits. Further, it is reportedly working with satellite operator DISH Network on search/interface options for the pay TV context that could bring Internet like browsing to multichannel TV.
The details of the full initiative are pretty thin still, and those details are what will likely determine the platform’s ultimate success. But if Google is successful in establishing itself as a bridge between traditional pay TV content and “over the top” Internet content, the implications could be huge and shake things up for many established players across the value chain.
Source: DTC
