Google Enters TV Search Business With Google Video

Internet search giant, Google, has launched its latest experimental product, Google Video, allowing users to search through TV and video content from the internet to find the information they need.

Google already has deals in place with leading American TV content providers including PBS, the NBA, Fox News, and C-SPAN, allowing users to search their video streams for content or keywords.

Commenting on the new service, Google’s co-founder and president of products, Larry Page, said: “Our mission is to help Google users find the information they need, whether it’s on the Web, in a library, or on TV. Google Video unlocks the information that streams across our TVs every day. Now users can search the content of TV programs, find the shows that have the information they’re looking for, and learn when they can watch them.”

The system does not currently allow users to view video from their computer, although this feature looks set to be added in the future. The new service follows news earlier this week of a similar system, dubbed Blinkx TV. The Blinkx service allows users to search for TV content, including much from the UK, and view it via their broadband internet connections (see First Online TV Search Engine Launched).

The Google Video service is currently in the testing stage, but is available to the public at

Search results also return program and episode information, including channel, date and time and when it will next be aired. The service also displays up to five still video images and five short text segments from the programme’s subtitles.

Commenting on PBS’ involvement with Google, Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of the company, said: “For more than three decades PBS and local PBS stations have pioneered the use of state-of-the-art technology to use media to inform, engage, entertain, and educate the American public. Today we are proud to join with Google, a company that continues to achieve new levels of technical innovation with the launch of Google Video, a new service that increases the reach and impact of PBS content.”

It is not yet known whether Google will roll out international versions of the new service.

Google Video: www.google.com/video

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