The over-the-top streaming content space continues to fuzz up, especially for Google TV (Nasdaq: GOOG) which has the good or bad fortune, depending on your perspective, to be among the first out of the gate. Broadcasters have already made it clear that they're not interested in having Google show off their programming for free when they can get money from pay TV providers like cable, telco and satellite operators. Now not surprisingly Fancast, a Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) property, has blocked its streaming TV as well.
It's not as if the content providers are shutting things down; they're trying to teach Google and other OTTs that there are existing models for delivering content that must be considered.
"Online advertising brings in a much lower return so losing traditional viewers to online streaming is a bad move from the network perspective," the blog site WorldTVPC reports. "The cable companies are also increasingly touchy about paying networks big bucks for content users may find online for free."
Cable has not shut out the idea of Google TV. Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC-WI) CEO Glenn Britt, during a third quarter earnings conference call, described the service as "interesting" and "perhaps complementary to some of the things that we do."
For more:
- see this blog
Related articles:
Will Google TV get Hulu? Not likely, unless it's Hulu Plus
Time Warner CEO: Google TV more ally than enemy; says Hulu, Netflix in for a fight
Google TV exec asks for more understanding from broadcasters