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YouTube Is The Real “Google TV”

Google TV, the company’s much-hyped “Connected TV” effort that brought together Sony, Logitech and Dish Networks, has failed to deliver on its promise — at least so far. While sales figures haven’t been released the public isn’t biting, it would appear. Google TV (the product) may ultimately join the ranks of Google Wave as an […]

Greg Sterling on April 7, 2011 at 10:26 am | Reading time: 2 minutes

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Googlewood Google TV, the company’s much-hyped “Connected TV” effort that brought together Sony, Logitech and Dish Networks, has failed to deliver on its promise — at least so far. While sales figures haven’t been released the public isn’t biting, it would appear.

Google TV (the product) may ultimately join the ranks of Google Wave as an ambitious failure. However it’s still a bit premature to call it that.

Regardless the news yesterday that YouTube is planning to spend $100 million or more on new and original content and that it will lease almost 14,000 square feet of new office space in Beverly Hills got me thinking: YouTube is the “real Google TV.”

Eventually (say within three to five years) the majority of US TV screens will connect to the internet. Most Americans will probably not own Google TVs. However they will be able to access Google content through their TV sets. And the primary source of that content could be YouTube, which is seeking to redefine itself as a source of premium entertainment, as well as the familiar “viral videos” and clips.

Although it has struggled to build a library of professional content, the new spending, redesign and “channel strategy” and professional content push seeks to change that. Depending on how committed Google is to professionally produced content, YouTube might ultimately be able to challenge Hulu and Netflix as a distributor of programming and movies.

YouTube could become a major distributor of TV and movies, especially independent films. And in the coming “Connected TV era” Netflix, Hulu and, maybe, YouTube are the new CBS, NBC and ABC — or the new TimeWarner and Comcast, if you prefer.

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