Two ascending Internet giants, Google and Yahoo, are to make plain today that they intend to move aggressively beyond the Internet browser and onto the television screen.
The two companies, already the most popular services for searching and organizing the vast information on the World Wide Web, want to perform the same function for television, which will increasingly be delivered over the Internet. a
Indeed, much of the innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where top executives of both companies are speaking today, revolves around video gadgets of all sizes that connect online to new programming services.
Both Yahoo and Google have emerged as potent threats to television networks because they are drawing ad dollars to their existing sites. And they are poised to cause further disruption if they can establish themselves as major players in advertising on Internet video.
Moreover, Google and Yahoo want to play a role in the emerging market for paid downloads of video programming, a market pioneered in 2005 by Apple Computer, which introduced a video iPod player and video downloads priced at $1.99 from ABC, NBC and other sources.
One of those speaking today in Las Vegas, Terry S. Semel, Yahoo's chief executive, said in an interview yesterday that he would unveil an initiative called Yahoo Go to extend the company's personalized services - from weather forecasts to e-mail - across multiple devices, from televisions to cellphones.
Most significant, the company is to introduce free software - designed for computers hooked up to television sets - that will compete with the Windows Media Center of Microsoft.
This software will allow viewers to use a television set, not merely a computer screen, to see any of Yahoo's offerings of video content - from music videos to original news reports - and the more than one million video clips in its video search service. It will offer a TV program guide, similar to those offered on digital cable services, but Yahoo's version will include reviews and ratings of shows from its users.
Google's plans will be laid out by one of its two founders, Larry Page. A Google spokesman declined yesterday to discuss Mr. Page's speech. But several executives briefed on the company's plans said that he would announce a way to allow content producers to charge fees for Google users to watch programs on their PC's - either as downloads for later viewing or as streaming files.
Those briefed on the plans said Google would announce that CBS and the National Basketball Association would sell programming through its service, which will also be available to smaller video producers. Google's video plans were reported yesterday by The Wall Street Journal.
CBS is expected to charge $1.99 for episodes of current prime-time programs and possibly less for older programs, an executive briefed on its plans said.
In contrast, Yahoo is to offer free advertising-supported video at first, but it will start selling downloads later this year, Mr. Semel said. "Video content on Yahoo today attracts a great deal of interest from advertisers," he said. "We are enabling our users to see video for free."
Google has said it hopes to enter the video advertising business, but advertising is not part of its current service, an executive briefed on its plans said.
CBS has not agreed to sell its programs through Apple, but it may do so later, an executive briefed on its plans said. Its deal with Google is not exclusive.
Google plans to use its own software that will allow providers like CBS to limit how many copies can be made of a downloaded file. As a result, users of Google will not be able to download such protected content to portable devices.
Apple has not allowed other companies to use its own content-protection software. Most other portable video devices use protection software from Microsoft, which Google does not support. Google will allow unprotected content to be downloaded to portable devices, a person briefed on its plans said.
Yahoo's software for TV's will run on any computer that runs Windows XP and any of the forthcoming devices that use Intel's new Viiv technology. While it can be run on a computer, it will be designed to be operated by a user watching television with a remote control. The interface will be simpler and have larger type than a typical Web page.
Yahoo will initially focus on using the television to display video, photographs and some information like movie times and sports scores. A later version will add e-mail and instant messaging. The software will also allow users to record television programs onto the computer, much as users do with a TiVo recorder.
While Google is not introducing its own software for television sets, PC's that are already linked to TV's, like those that use Windows Media Center technology, will be able to play video from Google's service on large screens.
Both Google and Yahoo are also announcing deals with makers of cellphones that expand the services they make available to wireless users and make them more prominent.
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Ken Belson and John Markoff contributed reporting for this article.Correction: Jan. 7, 2006, Saturday:An illustration in Business Day yesterday with an article about expansion plans by Yahoo and Google used a picture of a cellphone with a misleading label about the company that is working with Yahoo to market cellphones with enhanced software. Its partner is Cingular Wireless, not Verizon Wireless.
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The two companies, already the most popular services for searching and organizing the vast information on the World Wide Web, want to perform the same function for television, which will increasingly be delivered over the Internet. a
Indeed, much of the innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where top executives of both companies are speaking today, revolves around video gadgets of all sizes that connect online to new programming services.
Both Yahoo and Google have emerged as potent threats to television networks because they are drawing ad dollars to their existing sites. And they are poised to cause further disruption if they can establish themselves as major players in advertising on Internet video.
Moreover, Google and Yahoo want to play a role in the emerging market for paid downloads of video programming, a market pioneered in 2005 by Apple Computer, which introduced a video iPod player and video downloads priced at $1.99 from ABC, NBC and other sources.
One of those speaking today in Las Vegas, Terry S. Semel, Yahoo's chief executive, said in an interview yesterday that he would unveil an initiative called Yahoo Go to extend the company's personalized services - from weather forecasts to e-mail - across multiple devices, from televisions to cellphones.
Most significant, the company is to introduce free software - designed for computers hooked up to television sets - that will compete with the Windows Media Center of Microsoft.
This software will allow viewers to use a television set, not merely a computer screen, to see any of Yahoo's offerings of video content - from music videos to original news reports - and the more than one million video clips in its video search service. It will offer a TV program guide, similar to those offered on digital cable services, but Yahoo's version will include reviews and ratings of shows from its users.
Google's plans will be laid out by one of its two founders, Larry Page. A Google spokesman declined yesterday to discuss Mr. Page's speech. But several executives briefed on the company's plans said that he would announce a way to allow content producers to charge fees for Google users to watch programs on their PC's - either as downloads for later viewing or as streaming files.
Those briefed on the plans said Google would announce that CBS and the National Basketball Association would sell programming through its service, which will also be available to smaller video producers. Google's video plans were reported yesterday by The Wall Street Journal.
CBS is expected to charge $1.99 for episodes of current prime-time programs and possibly less for older programs, an executive briefed on its plans said.
In contrast, Yahoo is to offer free advertising-supported video at first, but it will start selling downloads later this year, Mr. Semel said. "Video content on Yahoo today attracts a great deal of interest from advertisers," he said. "We are enabling our users to see video for free."
Google has said it hopes to enter the video advertising business, but advertising is not part of its current service, an executive briefed on its plans said.
CBS has not agreed to sell its programs through Apple, but it may do so later, an executive briefed on its plans said. Its deal with Google is not exclusive.
Google plans to use its own software that will allow providers like CBS to limit how many copies can be made of a downloaded file. As a result, users of Google will not be able to download such protected content to portable devices.
Apple has not allowed other companies to use its own content-protection software. Most other portable video devices use protection software from Microsoft, which Google does not support. Google will allow unprotected content to be downloaded to portable devices, a person briefed on its plans said.
Yahoo's software for TV's will run on any computer that runs Windows XP and any of the forthcoming devices that use Intel's new Viiv technology. While it can be run on a computer, it will be designed to be operated by a user watching television with a remote control. The interface will be simpler and have larger type than a typical Web page.
Yahoo will initially focus on using the television to display video, photographs and some information like movie times and sports scores. A later version will add e-mail and instant messaging. The software will also allow users to record television programs onto the computer, much as users do with a TiVo recorder.
While Google is not introducing its own software for television sets, PC's that are already linked to TV's, like those that use Windows Media Center technology, will be able to play video from Google's service on large screens.
Both Google and Yahoo are also announcing deals with makers of cellphones that expand the services they make available to wireless users and make them more prominent.
1
2Next Page >
Ken Belson and John Markoff contributed reporting for this article.Correction: Jan. 7, 2006, Saturday:An illustration in Business Day yesterday with an article about expansion plans by Yahoo and Google used a picture of a cellphone with a misleading label about the company that is working with Yahoo to market cellphones with enhanced software. Its partner is Cingular Wireless, not Verizon Wireless.
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