CBS isn’t saying no to Google TV – It’s just saying “Tell us how much you’re offering” before making a decision. Or, at least, that’s the message to take away from CBS CEO Les Moonves’ speech at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference yesterday, where he described Google TV as “very interesting,” before adding “I’m not sure what it is. I’m not sure what it will do to our business.”
Moonves went on to say that the central issue of streaming CBS content online for him is one of control – not only control over the distribution method, but over the monetization of its product. But he went on to make it clear that anyone – be it Google TV, Hulu or whatever third party seeks to license CBS shows for streaming – should be clear that it’ll take more than a little green (“We are a primary provider of premium content. We are going to get paid for it,” he’s quoted as saying). And why? Because, in Moonves’ eyes, content is still king:
People want our content. We are going to take our time making the right decision. Caution is a not a bad thing here.
Of course, I’m sure there are ways to convince caution to be thrown to the wind. They’ll simply involve a few large trucks willed with money, is all.
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Earth to Google TV: The Big Networks Aren’t Coming Around