Last month, our benevolent search engine overlords announced a new deal with Sony, Intel and Logitech that would see Google-enabled TVs in U.S. stores by fall .
A new web-TV hybrid? Cue the rampant tech skepticism. Almost as soon as the announcement was made, critics began weighing in. While Google promises on its offi cial blog that the new venture will allow American viewers to “experience the best of TV and the best of the web in one seamless experience,” critics point to the perilous path of past attempts, littered with failed efforts to bring television and the Internet together in multimedia matrimony. Remember Microsoft’s WebTV or Yahoo TV? Of course you don’t. Even Apple refuses to divulge sales numbers of its Apple TV box, launched in 2007. While the company has recently said Apple TV sales are “increasing,” safe to say it’s a slow tick. Because when numbers are worth bragging about, Apple has no problem talking specifi cs , like two million iPads in 60 days.
In an Advertising Age Digital Next post, FourthWall Media cofounder and chief product offi cer Ellen Dudar outlined a number of reasons GoogleTV will join other web-TV combos in the “fail” pile.One primary obstacle, according to Dudar is “confused advertising.” She wrote, “While Google can deliver new ads in their overlays, they have nothing to do with making linear television spots more targeted and interactive. In fact, Google TV encourages even greater audience fragmentation that undermines television content and advertising models.”
Others, like Fortune writer Jon Fortt, say the web and TV are distinct viewing experiences that don’t translate to either platform. “My best TV experience is leaning back and watching a huge screen from 20 feet away,” writes Fortt. “My best web experience is leaning forward and interacting with a medium-sized screen from two feet away. And Google’s going to somehow combine the two? I don’t think so.”
Still, the sheer amount of on-demand video content making its way online (at least south of the 49th, though it’s growing here too), whether on Google-owned YouTube, or services like Netfl ix or Hulu in the last couple of years, there’s good reason to think this is an emerging market for consumer electronics and tech companies. As Intel CEO Paul Otellini, CEO told Fortune, “What we found in the late ’90s when we last tried this, was that when people wanted Internet content they were going to their computers, and when they wanted broadcast content they were going to their television. But you have to remember this was a decade ago, YouTube didn’t exist, Hulu didn’t exist. It was a much more static environment.”
There’s also the very recent rise of simultaneous media consumption to consider–live-chatting with friends on your laptop or posting to Twitter on your smartphone while watching everything from MTV’s The Hills to World Cup soccer.
Of course, it will be a while before Canadians have the opportunity to test out the option. Google says its new TV venture isn’t quite ready for international prime time. “Like with all our products, part of the reason is to test it out a little bit, catch any glitches and bugs before distributing it globally,” says Google Canada spokesperson Wendy Rozeluk. “It’s very similar to what we did with the Nexus One [smartphone]; we want to keep it under control at fi rst. It’s just about learning about the interaction as people use it and give us feedback.”
Popular tech blog Engadget reported that Apple is working on a newer, cheaper version of its Apple TV that will be based on the iPhone operating system which could open it up to third-party apps much like Google TV’s Android-based system.
So while history tells us consumers have been hesitant about merging their web and TV experiences en masse, will adding apps to the mix be the difference? The fact both Google and Apple are ramping up efforts means the debate is far from over.
