Google launches TV search tool

Online video delivery seen as future revenue source

Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com 26 Jan 2005

Google has launched Google Video, a service that searches inside television programmes.

The Google Video beta searches the subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired as well as information from programme guides. The user is presented with a transcript and a still image from the show.

"By being able to search the entire transcript of a television show, users can discover sources of information that they didn't know existed," John Piscitello, product manager for Google Video told vnunet.com.

The service is currently in beta and only searches a few American television stations. Piscitello said he wants to add stations from around the world, but couldn't provide details on when users can expect those.

Future versions of Google Video will add a video playback feature, where the user can watch the actual video directly from Google's website.

The company hopes that making video searchable enables a market for online video watching and creates new revenue streams. "We think that we can work with the content owners to figure out the right business model for delivering video content to the users," Piscitello said.

Part of those revenues could come from hosting the movies on Google's server network. Not all content owners have the ability to host their television shows for online viewing.

"It is feasible that we could help make video available. We're working with content owners to design the right business model and technical implementation to make that happen," Piscitello said.

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