Google buys a backbone for pay TV services

[Jeffrey]

The search engine has acquired a startup that quickly pushes live video for NBCUniversal, FOX Sports and Univision

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Google is snapping up Anvato, a company with tech that's designed to make it easy for broadcasters to put live video online. The system is currently used by plenty of brand-name firms to pump out online video, edit clips in the cloud and handle pay-per-view transactions. Anvato counts companies like NBC and Fox Sports as customers, the former uses it as the backbone for NBC.com, while the latter used it to stream the Super Bowl. Anvato's software and employees will now join Google's cloud platform team, enabling other firms to benefit from what's being called "scalable media processing and workflows in the cloud."

As TV becomes just another part of the internet, it's not simply about which tech company can reinvent (part of) itself as a broadcaster. After all, Google may have already won the war thanks to YouTube, which itself now offers a premium TV option. But away from simply producing stuff for people to watch, there's also plenty of money in the infrastructure underpinning live TV. It's why Microsoft has Azure Media Services (used by the CW) and Amazon has AWS Digital Media, which Netflix uses to process its data. All in all, this move means that Google's dominance over the broadcasting world just got that little bit stronger.

We have Google WIFI, Google Fibre and now a streaming backbone... Is a plan coming together?

What are your thoughts?

Reported by Engadget via TechCrunch

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Definitely sounds like they're working on something. I'd love to be able to cut the cord, but we watch so much TV that can't be found in a reasonable time on streaming services. I hate spoilers, so watching a show a day or 2 late on the DVR is the most I'm willing to do with the shows that I'm really into. My stepson, on the other hand, watches a ton of stuff on Netflix already. He figured out how to get it up on the smart TV and life has never been the same.

Would be great to see more competition and hopefully lower prices.

 

[badtoy1986]

Definitely sounds like they're working on something. I'd love to be able to cut the cord, but we watch so much TV that can't be found in a reasonable time on streaming services. I hate spoilers, so watching a show a day or 2 late on the DVR is the most I'm willing to do with the shows that I'm really into. My stepson, on the other hand, watches a ton of stuff on Netflix already. He figured out how to get it up on the smart TV and life has never been the same.

Would be great to see more competition and hopefully lower prices.

Check out Playstation Vue TV

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Check out Playstation Vue TV

Don't you need a Playstation for that? No thanks. I've spent enough on my Xbox.

 

[badtoy1986]

Don't you need a Playstation for that? No thanks. I've spent enough on my Xbox.

Nope, a Amazon Fire TV even the stick, or I believe a Roku now too. Once signed up, you can use your iPhone/pad and soon an Android app.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Good to know. Monthly fee?

Too bad we've got Chromecasts on the TVs already. Can't even really justify replacing one of those financially right now, but I suppose if they come out with an Android app, we could cast it.

 

[badtoy1986]

Good to know. Monthly fee?

Too bad we've got Chromecasts on the TVs already. Can't even really justify replacing one of those financially right now, but I suppose if they come out with an Android app, we could cast it.

Lol, I too already had an Xbox one. I used it to justify buying a PS4. Going from a $140 cable bill to $35 made it quick to pay for itself.

 

[Mustang02]

plex to my xbone or chromecast. I'll never pay for tv again.