Back in 2012 Google took the leap into pay TV services by opening up Google Fiber to residents of Kansas City, Kansas where it now – according to analyst reports – holds around 13 percent of the market there. It also made its way to Kansas City, Missouri where the pay TV service has a 10 percent hold of the market share for paid TV services. That is probably good news for the larger paid TV providers in the area. But is Google really that concerned with those numbers? Google primarily touted their Google Fiber Internet services, which is more than likely more of an interest to Google. However, Google has been very tight-lipped on just how well they are doing, so there is no way to be certain that Google Fiber is making progress in those cities. In an article with re/code (source link below), market analyst Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson, felt the numbers for Google TV services was small and was an example of “how hard, and how slow, it is to build scale.” Google has made efforts to bring its services to more cities having recently announced service in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham.
Many have been looking to Google as a means to provide super-fast high-speed internet access and even paid TV services to other parts of the country, but roll out has been very slow. This is because it is a costly and difficult process to build a network from the ground up to provide service to customers. But many consumers in the United States have several options for paid television, with cable companies Comcast and Time Warner being the largest followed by the satellite TV companies. What is lacking is the high-speed internet connections that the Internet of Things is going to require in the years to come.
As many Americans grapple with limited choices for both broadband internet and paid television services, companies like Google could make a move that would be a huge disruption to the industry. This would help those who have a limited choice get the internet service that they desperately need as more and more aspects of our daily life connect to the internet. Hopefully Google will be able to keep invested in bringing the country to better and faster internet and pay TV services, while providing competition for the existing companies forcing them to better innovate and provide faster services at lower prices. Would you love to see a company such as Google offer connected services such as high-speed internet and pay TV services in your area? Do you feel these services would help drive competition, thus lowering prices and spurring innovation? Let us know your opinions on our Google+ page or in the comment section below.