The message to broadcasters is clear: Google wants to help them adapt to the biggest revolution they have had to face, according to Ben Faes, the US giant’s MD of partner business solutions in the UK.
“Technology disruption is not new to the TV business but the mobile revolution is by far the greatest,” he said during a conference session dedicated to Google’s plans in television on Thursday.
Google wants to help broadcasters “create amazing content, distribute it and find a sustainable business model for it”, he claimed. One of the examples he cited on the content creation front was the deal between YouTube and Fox News during the Republican presidential debates.
“We integrated the live Google feeds during the debate so that viewers could see the immediate response. You could, for instance, watch live comments on the candidates,” he said.
Google is also helping audiences to find content they want to watch, as there is so much out there. “We launched a product called Watch Action, which allows people to click directly on a legitimate source of content on Google search,” he explained.
An example of this is the deal YouTube signed with 16 broadcasters during the Olympics.
“We completely integrated the viewing experience of the Olympics into Google search, which means that if you are searching for highlights of the games you will directly get the images of the broadcaster in the market you are in.”
