It's got YouTube. Is the boob tube next?
An interesting TechCrunch story passed along an unconfirmed rumor that Google
It's obvious, right? Everything seems to be pointing in that direction. The company's recent OpenSocial drive for social-networking sites, and its Android initiative for a mobile phone operating system, prove that Google is bent on mastering all media in a developer-friendly manner. Why wouldn't it want to be a TV star, too?
Previous moves have pointed in that direction. The company's purchases of YouTube and radio advertising giant dMarc, and its pending deal for DoubleClick, find Google opening its chunky wallet the widest for companies that will expand its ad reach beyond targeted text spots.
It's important to note that Google probably won't get into the hardware side of this business. Just as rumors of Google putting out the Gphone ultimately gave way to a software-based solution for other wireless handset makers, I'm guessing that Google would rather stick to the high-margin software behind the engines.
This move may also bury dreams that Google might eventually buy TiVo
However, snapping up TiVo would also create an appearance of bias on Google's part, dissuading other set-top heavies from adapting an open-source platform. Would Motorola
A Google purchase of TiVo would work only if Big G planned to implode TiVo's hardware side, then exploit its patent-rich software side to drum up the mother of all set-top box solutions. Such a pricey move seems highly unlikely.
Still, even if TechCrunch couldn't confirm the rumor, how can Google not be thinking inside the box these days? With Microsoft