[opendtv] News: Google and Yahoo Are Extending Search Ability to TV Programs
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 10:24:17 -0500
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/25/technology/25google.html?oref=login&th
Google and Yahoo Are Extending Search Ability to TV Programs
By SAUL HANSELL
Published: January 25, 2005
Google and Yahoo are introducing services that will let users search
through television programs based on words spoken on the air. The
services will look for keywords in the closed captioning information
that is encoded in many programs, mainly as an aid to deaf viewers.
Google's service, scheduled to be introduced today, does not actually
permit people to watch the video on their computers. Instead, it
presents them with short excerpts of program transcripts with text
matching their search queries and a single image from the program.
Google records TV programs for use in the service
Google's vice president for product management, Jonathan Rosenberg,
said offering still images was somewhat limited but was a first step
toward a broader service.
"The long-term business model is complicated and will evolve over
time," Mr. Rosenberg said. Eventually, Google may offer video
programming on its site or direct people to video on other Web sites.
But for now, the issues relating to the rights and business interests
of program owners are very complex, he said.
A Google spokesman, Nate Tyler, said the service would include "most
of the major networks," including ABC, PBS, Fox News and C-Span. Mr.
Rosenberg said Google did not think it needed the permission of
network and program owners to include them in the index but would
remove any program or network if the owner requests it. He declined
to discuss any business arrangements between the program owners and
Google.
Brian Lamb, the chief executive of C-Span, said he met with
representatives of Google and approved of their service but no money
changed hands between the two organizations.
Yahoo introduced a test version of a different sort of video search
last year, available from a section of its site, that lets users comb
through video clips from various Web sites.
Today, Yahoo will move the video search to its home page. In the
next few weeks, it will introduce the ability to search the
closed-captioning text for programs from some networks, including
Bloomberg and the BBC. Unlike the Google service, Yahoo's offering
will let users watch 60-second video clips.
David Ives, the chief executive of TV Eyes, which is providing that
part of Yahoo's service, said some broadcasters were paying to have
their programs included in the search. In other cases, he said, the
broadcaster and TV Eyes will split revenue from advertisements placed
next to the video clips.
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