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Google To Launch Streaming TV Service In Early 2017 (dslreports.com)
It looks like the internet search giant is expected to beat Apple to the punch by releasing its streaming TV service early next year. The Wall Street Journal notes that CBS has agreed to bring content to the service, while 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney are in the final stages of talks to add their content to the service. What's more is that the service is expected to be "housed under the YouTube brand." Karl Bode for DSLReports writes: The service, to be called "Unplugged," aims to be a "low-cost option targeting customers who either have resisted subscribing to traditional pay-TV or cut the cord due to rising costs." While Google sells traditional TV service in its Google Fiber footprint, subscriber numbers have been low for the service. An over the top service might be well received by the general public, but it also might provide promising if bundled with Google FIber's existing broadband offerings. Google is looking to offer a "skinny" bundle of live TV channels with a price in the range of $25 to $40 a month, states the Journal. The report also notes that the service will be entirely separate from YouTube Red, a subscription service ($10 or $13 for iOS users) that offers ad-free YouTube video viewing.
I'm not sure if I'm in the minority but when I see any Live TV service like this or Sling TV, they seem overpriced. I don't subscribe to Live TV (Cable, etc) because it's comprised of a bunch of shows I either have no interest in, hate or don't fit with my schedule. I have no reason to pay more for that unwanted crap, then a fully on demand service where I can choose what I want and mold it to my schedule, for less.
Considering some cable companies offer bundles of TV, Internet, and Phone for ~$60 a month, I see $25-40 as a tough sell. For $60 and having the web plus close to 100 channels, I don't see the benefit of having to buy a box and rely on streaming for only specific channels. Plus, I love using my TiVo commercial skip feature. No ads on most major shows. I do like more competition though. Hopefully Google offers something good for the masses.
Cordcutters can already get a lot of TV content (not necessarily live, but typically few care) but the bigger lack is sports streaming. It's complicated, expensive, and typically bundled with other stuff. Sling has the best I've seen so far, but I'd be interested to see others. Can Google fix that one for us all?
I'm not personally interested in sports outside the social events I could host better, like the Super Bowl or the World Cup, but just because it's not /my/ problem doesn't mean I don't recognize it's a problem in the market.
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This would be good if someone made a DVR for streaming content. I would need my PC to record the network streams automatically, and then I can skip the irrelevant commercials when watching later. Watching streaming shows from existing online sources (CBS/ABC/etc.) is tedious, and rarely worth the effort. A DVR app could change that balance....
It seems to be the biggest issue of this "cord-cutting" craze is that what CORD are we cutting? Cable-TV/Sat/etc, sure, but then people are hopping on the streaming bandwagon essentially TV over IP. And the CORD that this data is coming to you on is the same one that you "cut" the TV service from, it seems that in the near future (clearly already happening) that you'll be trading the $40 internet bill and $60 dollar cable bill for a $110 internet bill + data overages (I'm looking at you Comcast, et al).
I am sure ISPs (cable companies *cough* *cough*) are laughing all the way to the bank!
As an added feature Google's new service will come with a "free" webcam so they can provide a "better customer experience" (e.g. so they can track your every utterance/move and serve you more and more "targetted ads")
Coming soon "GoogleWipe" (tm), the softer, kinder, gentler, more eco-friendly bathroom paper with added nano cameras which "cleanse, freshen and delight whilst aiding our customers to assess their rectal health".
Sky subscribers are morons. They pay to be advertised at !
They keep creating new, redundant services to fufill every variation of a niche rather than just having one.