Google TV – YouTube Live – The Missing potential.

I recovered this from the archive, too bad I lost the pictures.

Warnings:

• This article represents my point of view. You may think whatever you want.
• My native language it is not English.
• Wrote on 2012-Jun

After some months testing Google TV, I started to think why devices like Google TV, Apple TV and Samsung Smart TV still do not hit hard on the market. The devices are be solid, interesting and contains a lot of apps, but I came to think why people does not need them as a “Must-Have”.
First we need to think that this device has competition against traditional TV. On the air programming and cable services had been available for years and people are used to it. When the Smart TV devices shows up, they try to open up a different alternative “On Demand Programming”, instead of trying to compete with other services “Local Live TV” and “Cable Subscription Live Programming”.
Hipsters may say that “On Demand TV” will make every other service obsolete, and believing this (at 100%) may not be the optimal thing. I think that there are still things for what “Local Live TV” and   “Cable Subscription Live programming” are good for, and are not going to turn obsolete. These two services will change with time, but I think that people still want it.
Don’t get me wrong, “On Demand TV” is very good, and it is something that is going to grow. Services like Netflix are very interesting and usefull (and in sometimes displaced a home TV). But I’m against the idea of that “On Demand” is all that we need, and all that should exist.
I still see joy (believe it or not) on swapping channels and look a little bit of anything around to see if I can get hook up with the programming using the “Cable Subscription Live programming” service. In the mourning a like to watch the local news channel to see politicians and lawyers fighting each others and rushing who is going to be the first to make the world a better place to live ;P
I think that all TV platforms (Apple TV, Google TV, Samsung SmartTV) are still weak on this two services:

• Local Live TV
• Cable Subscription Live programming

It seems that this platforms only want to compete on the “On Demand programming” and having cool apps and games for the users. But they had to take the leap to take over the last two mentioned services.

The power is on the catalog, not in the platform or the apps.
I’m a believer that to succeed on this “Smart TV” market the manufacturer has to put its chips on the “Catalog of Contents”. It is needed a catalog that contains “On Demand”, “Local Live TV” and “Cable Subscription live Programming”.

Local Live TV Service

Let see some examples of “Local Live TV” service on the internet:

• TVUPlayer by TVUNetworks (Windows app / Web Live/) - UPDATE.- Discontinued.
  • Based on Flash
  • Allow users to create their own TV channel and stream it to their Catalog. (for non-commercial, personal use)
  • Broadcast: Has a Windows and Linux client to help broadcaster.
  • Clients for Windows / Android / Browser
  • http://www.tvunetworks.com/  (

• JustIn TV
  • Based on Flash
  • User can broadcast from Browser (Flash), iPhone, Android, Windows Desktop and Wirecast
  • Used a lot to stream video games playing.
  • http://www.justin.tv/

Let’s see other examples, but only for viewing Live TV. Not broadcast. (There are a lot on the internet).

TV for Google Chrome

• Uses Windows Media Player
• https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lambangeielkjcnmioccboaphdfcffib?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon

Other “TV for Google Chrome”.

• https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/licccgnfdlgmmmgaddmbcepikfadcmpe?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon

Google’s Missing Potential

The Live TV content catalog has too much fragmentation on the Internet. There is not solid single catalog where users can watch Live TV. Sometimes the broadcaster put their Live Channel on their websites, and sometime they register to other catalog.

Google opportunity here is to create a catalog of Live TV embedded to YouTube.

What about YouTube Live?

Currently:

• There is no categories on the Live Content
• There is no way for the user to broadcast Live Content yet.  ( I just can’t find any information no how to do this).

YouTube Live is missing an opportunity to be the “King”, “Owner”, “Master” of the online Live TV catalog on the web. It seems that the “YouTube Live” project is getting delay.

What Google has to do, is offer everyone (individuals, TV Networks) the opportunity to be attached to this “Live Catalog” and it has to be done now, before someone else (with money) does it first.

Google can also offer the user/TV network a set of tools (maybe based on open source) to stream, set the TV programming chart and create their own TV channel on the YouTube Live Catalog.

The next step on YouTube Live (also very logical) is on charging money for special Live Channels that offers more exclusive content. Not only on demand events, but full live cable channels (Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, etc). (or is this Google Play area?)

Where does it fit Google TV?

Google TV may become the client by excellence of the “YouTube Live” service. Right now Google TV has a YouTube app, but it does not support YouTube Live yet.

By making available live content on YouTube Live and Google TV, the “Local Live TV” service breach/issue may be overcome. Local TV Networks may have the alternative stream their video on the internet and attach it to the “YouTube Live Catalog” to raise their potential viewer’s base.

Cable Subscription Live programming Service

Uhm… Cable TV may be going forward to the transformation. When you have the providers of TV series providing content on demand (Like Netflix), and Local Live TV Networks streaming their content to the internet, what can they offer?

Well, maybe they will have to compete with YouTube Live (if YouTube Live worked as I like to) and Netflix.

The Cable TV provider will evolve to show their content over the internet (that’s obvious). Possible they will have to create their own Android/iOS TV app that shows their catalog of Live Content and on demand TV series, instead of bringing the cable and providing the cable box for your TV.

Maybe the entire cable company street infrastructure (taking about TV) can be replaced with a Web/Android/iOS app and a UserID and password.

On this case will have to compete with NetFlix and try to give more value added to the content/price they provide. They will try to bring together everything, Local Live TV, Cable Network Live Channels and On Demand contents.

TV Networks are now Global

There is an important issue here. Local TV Networks was not thought to be global from the beginning. When they buy a content to show it on the air, it is very possible that this content has regional restrictions. But the Internet does not have regional restrictions.

This may be a problem for local TV Networks that want to stream their content on the internet. And the Hollywood industries are having a hard time trying to evolve about this.

Just let me show it like this. Is it legal for “ECTV” (http://www.ecuadortv.ec ), a local government Ecuadorian TV Network, to stream live “Mickey Mouse Fun House” or “Iron Man” on their web site?

I don’t have the details of the TV content negotiation of know if it legal or not. But I wanted to set the doubt as an example.

Conclusion

There is potential on YouTube Live, Google TV to finally give what is missing to the SmartTV Devices. “Live TV” and “Cable TV”.