Google Video - Waiting For The Details

The Wall Street Journal says that Google will announce a paid video download service on Friday during Larry Page's keynote at CES.  The service will include content from CBS and the NBA, and presumably others.  That's not completely surprising considering how much interest Google has shown in online video over the past year.

But there weren't a lot of details in the WSJ's story which I won't link to because its a paid site.

For example, will the content be DRM'd?  Will you be able to subscribe to RSS feeds of the content?  Can you republish it?  Can you mash it up?  How much will a basketball game cost?  How much will Letterman cost?  Can we get just the monologue and the live music at the end of the Letterman show?

Google got search right.  They not only delivered a great search service but the got the business model right too.  And that has resulted in their dominance in that market.

Online video is tricky business.  I hope Google gives us something as "web native" as its seearch service that allows us consume to what we want, how we want, when we want.  Somehow I don't think that's what Larry is going to annouce tomorrow because this time Google doesn't have a huge archive of free content to serve up.  This time they are dealing with content owners who want to set the rules.  Just ask Steve Jobs about that problem.

My online video wish: - An RSS feed for Extras. I paid almost $50 for The Office DVD.  I'd happily pay the same for Extras delivered via RSS.  In fact, I'd happily pay that for the Ricky Gervais podcast which I get for free.

Comments

[marjorienyc]

You can watch Extras on HBO Comedy this month--replays start January 8th. Why not just subscribe to HBO?

[Cyanbane]

We might pay extra for the podcast/extras episodes, but the real question is WWKPD? (What Would Karl Pilkington Do?)

I have debated buying a NTSC/PAL Region free dvd player just for instances like this where I could buy:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000ANDBSK/qid=1136475550/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/026-8320939-1178863

[Pete Cashmore]

This is off-topic, but some of the stuff on rickygervais.com is hilarious - I loved this interview with Chris Martin. And I guess you heard that Ricky is writing and appearing in an episode the Simpsons.

On the Google Video question - I expect they'll allow the sale of user-generated content soon enough. Jennifer Feikin has already confirmed that this is the plan.