Telly trouble
Viacom has become the latest network to block access to block Google TV from streaming full episodes of its shows from its website.
It will no doubt come as a blow to Google which already faces blockages of popular shows by CBC, NBC, ABC and most recently Fox. All the networks are reportedly worried that they could lose out on ad revenue as online advertising is cheaper than TV commercials.
Viacom owns channels including Comedy Central, MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon but when accessed on a Google TV set top box in the US, would-be viewers are greeted by a disappointing ‘sorry, this content is unavailable for your device,' unofficial Google telly blog G TV Hub reported.
Viacom has had an uneasy relationship with Google in the past after the video site hosted Viacom programmes, breaching copyright, but did admittedly take them down ASAP. Yet a litigation-fest still continued.
There is apparently a ‘user agent fix' that lets Google TV users access Fox.com and Viacom's site, although it is not known how long that will work.
Google TV certainly has had a baptism of fire and its main aim of providing choice for customers using its IPTV hardware is currently floundering as networks cull their programme offerings.
It was recently also panned by The New York Times, which quipped: "Google TV, Usability Not Included."
The newspaper goes on to say: "This much is clear: Google TV may be interesting to technophiles, but it's not for average people. On the great timeline of television history, Google TV takes an enormous step in the wrong direction: toward complexity. For starters, it requires a mouse and keyboard. That's right. For your TV. Hope you weren't going for that rustic look in your TV room."
The ‘search' feature, which Google would seem able to crack is described as ‘unpredictable' and ‘a little confusing' and while people might be excited about the prospect of getting apps on their telly's main menu, the review said: "It's all customizable, unfamiliar and mostly baffling, and you don't get a single page of instructions."
The newspaper concludes: "It will probably take a long time, and a lot more refinement, before Google TV is attractive to anyone besides tech-heads."
