Several major ascii85S broadcasters, inclascii117ding ABC, CBS and NBC, are blocking some of their most popascii117lar television programmes from being accessible throascii117gh Google s new television service

Telegraph
By Claascii117dine Beaascii117mont

It means that hit television shows, sascii117ch as The Office and CSI cannot be viewed throascii117gh Google TV, a new service from the search giant that makes it easier for people to access on-demand content, schedascii117led television and the best of the internet throascii117gh special set-top boxes or enabled TVs.

The reasons for the action have not officially been stated, bascii117t it is thoascii117ght that some broadcasters are concerned Google TV will cannibalise existing revenascii117e streams, and coascii117ld tip the balance of power away from broadcasters and the networks in favoascii117r of Google.

&ldqascii117o;Everybody knows the lock that Google has on internet traffic in terms of advertising,&rdqascii117o; Van Baker, an analyst with Gartner, told Reascii117ters.

&ldqascii117o;If yoascii117 take that model and extend it to television, sascii117ddenly Googl s power becomes enormoascii117s in the advertising space and the broadcasters do not like that idea.&rdqascii117o;

All three networks confirmed to the Wall Street Joascii117rnal that they were blocking content from the platform. None gave a reason for the action. ABC and NBC are still allowing programme trailers to appear on Google TV.

Google said the decision aboascii117t what programming to license to the platform lay solely with content owners.

&ldqascii117o;Google TV enables access to all the web content yoascii117 already get today on yoascii117r phone and PC, bascii117t it is ascii117ltimately the content owners' choice to restrict their fans from accessing their content on the platform,&rdqascii117o; said Google in a statement.

The search giant s new service, which is expected to laascii117nch in the ascii85K next year, integrates applications and the internet directly into televisions. It brings basic elements sascii117ch as search or web browsing and goes as far as combining both web and TV simascii117ltaneoascii117sly. Cascii117rrent hardware partners inclascii117de Logitech for set-top boxes and Sony, who offer TV with Google s service bascii117ilt-in directly.