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Why is it legal for media companies to block Google TV?
Since GoogleTV hardware is just that, hardware, at the end of the day, it uses Chrome browser to access content on the web, as is, without modification.
The message media companies show when you try to play their content from this HW is something like "sorry, but you should try to use regular PC or Laptop computer to access this content".
To me, this sounds the same as a media company telling me I need to buy a Dell computer but not HP if I want to see the daily show.
Why am I wrong, and why is this not illegal and a possible class action lawsuit? Why can a media company dictate what I put in my own house?
The message media companies show when you try to play their content from this HW is something like "sorry, but you should try to use regular PC or Laptop computer to access this content".
To me, this sounds the same as a media company telling me I need to buy a Dell computer but not HP if I want to see the daily show.
Why am I wrong, and why is this not illegal and a possible class action lawsuit? Why can a media company dictate what I put in my own house?
technologyunderstand
TV Channels are a part of the institution, they may not be run by the government, but they are important to the country The arts are also a part of the institution, such as public libraries and cinemas. Imagine if we shut down public libraries, because of the "videogame (21st) century", and the rise of ebooks. How bad would that be for the country? In fact anything that is to do with arts, is a part of the institution.
According to Wikipedia,
The arts are a fundamental part of the institution, and they have and are protected by the government, whether they are government owned (public), or privatised. Things like tv, radio, cinemas, libraries, music, are all things that have to be protected by the government. To put it more simply, the arts. That's why the UK has the BBC and the US has the PBS. To provide society with a public service without profit being the bottom line.
Now lets move onto tv channels themselves, and how they make their money. Television channels make their money by placing advert breaks in their programming. Let's work from the top of the chain. Television channels, are run by television networks. The networks own and run several channels. Viacom and Disney are examples. In the UK, ITV and Channel 4 Broadcasting are networks.
Networks have to pay for tv channels, to be given the right to broadcast them. TV Shows are expensive to make, they cost a lot of money as a lot of hard work, time and talent goes into making quality programming.
Coronation Street, the overall most popular show in the UK, costs £300,000 a week to produce. It's a popular UK soap broadcast on ITV1. Networks need money to pay for those shows, so ITV charges £500,000 for a 30 second advert slot for that show. To make a profit, ITV needs viewers for ITV1. Overall, ITV has been losing viewers every year, due to the presence of the internet (broadband revolution), and more stations.
Here's the viewing figures for December for ITV for the average tv watched in h:ss.
7.00 1998
6.55 1999
6.11 2000
5.12 2001
5.26 2002
5.28 2003
5.22 2004
5.23 2005
4.34 2006
4.47 2007
4.38 2008
5.02 2009
21.7 2010
19.4 2011
Would you be happy with those figures if you was the managing director of ITV or working for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport?
Now what Google wants to do, is turn the whole television industry, and flip it on its head. If Google had their way, every piece of content would be free, and served with their advertisements. They have, and are trying to do this with smartphone applications and books.
The Google TV is designed to replace tv, by making you more prone to surf the internet, go on Youtube, and watch tv online on Hulu, Netflix so Google can shove adverts in your face. You do know that Youtube now has tv shows, don't you? If Google had their way, all tv channels would be airing on Youtube, on demand, with Google adverts.
What do you think would happen if Google TV was in every household? Would people pay for a set top box to watch cable and satellite tv? Would networks have enough money to fund the production of quality television programming, or would they have to resort to more reality tv shows because they are forced to host their tv shows on Youtube.
By the way, part of what you pay for monthly tv goes to the broadcasters.
References
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1272762http://www.barb.co.uk/report/monthlyViewingSummary?button_submit=View+Figures&period[]=20091201&period[]=20081201&period[]=20071201&period[]=20061201&period[]=20051201&period[]=20041201&period[]=20031201&period[]=20021201&period[]=20011201&period[]=20001201&period[]=19991101&period[]=19981201