Originally published May 2 2005
Google and Yahoo work with TiVo to see if they can bring web video to television
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Google and Yahoo are both in talks with TiVo in order to, hopefully, extend television into the web. Talks currently revolve around providing TiVo users with the ability to search the web for video files that can then be watched on television. However, there is also talk that one of the search engines could purchase TiVo outright. Everything is still tentative, however, and insiders say that talks could still fall apart. There are technical issues that must be addressed before web video could be brought to TiVo. First, web video would need to improve its quality and TiVo boxes would need much larger storage capabilities.
TiVo is in talks with Internet search giants Google and Yahoo over a possible deal aimed at bridging television and the Web, CNET News.com has learned.
The talks are still fluid and could result in a number of outcomes, two sources familiar with the negotiations said.
One scenario that's been discussed would see TiVo partner with Google or Yahoo on a new service that would let consumers search for videos on the Web and then watch them on their television sets, according to one person with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
News.context What's new: Digital video recorder company TiVo is talking with Internet search giants Google and Yahoo about a possible deal aimed at bridging television and the Web, CNET News.com has learned.
Bottom line: A partership between TiVo and a major Internet search engine would offer expansion opportunities for both.
TiVo has long talked about becoming the "Google of TV," and Google and Yahoo are investing heavily in video services.
A second person familiar with the talks said TiVo has held talks with both Google and Yahoo about a potential equity investment, including the possibility of an outright acquisition.
Any deal would likely be exclusive, this source said, Nothing has been finalized, however, and the talks could yet fall apart.
"A deal to cooperate could happen quickly, but then the details would have to be worked out," the first source said.
TiVo has long talked about becoming the "Google of TV," eventually enabling its 3 million subscribers to search for and watch any broadcast or broadband media.
Google this week began soliciting video submissions to its searchable broadcast archives, inviting small and major producers alike to host or sell playback of their work using its servers.
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