The public launch of Google TV may have garnered a lot of mainstream consumer attention, but has also made it difficult to keep support from content owners. Viacom is the latest company to block its internet video content from Google TV, which prevents content from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and other Viacom-owned material from being played.
Internet users are still able to access Viacom material directly online, and the company actively looks at different distribution platforms to work with.
Viacom issued the following statement:
"We're blocking access to our full episode content from Google TV’s Web browser. We continue to evaluate Google TV to identify opportunities where it may make sense to optimize our Web content for the platform."
Google expects its new open source TV platform to help generate attention (and revenue) in a growing market, however, the search engine company needs to work with content producers. ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox blocked their content from Google TV late last month and Google is in active negotiations with each company.
Google TV is powered by Android and offers users immediate access to online features, including Google's own catalog of services. The service can now be found on select Sony HDTVs, Sony Blu-ray players and a Logitech set top box, while Samsung is expected to announce Google TV-powered products during CES in January.
As companies try to figure out how to better work in the online and streaming markets, Viacom and Google have already had issues in the past. Earlier in the year, U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton ruled in Google's favor regarding a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Viacom.
