Google Fiber has a pretty slow rollout over the past few years, and part of that is due to the fact that Google needs to actually build out its Fiber network, unlike other ISP’s. And perhaps, the offering of traditional TV service has slowed down its rollout. Well, Google is trying something new with the next two cities it’ll be rolling out Fiber too, which are Louisville and San Antonio, and that is to only provide internet, and not traditional TV. Of course part of this could be Google looking to promote YouTube TV, which should run perfectly on a Gigabit internet connection.
In Google Fiber’s blog post today, the team mentions that there are a huge number of people cutting the cord and getting rid of traditional TV in favor of streaming options like YouTube TV and others. So it makes little sense for Google to go out there and build this infrastructure when many are opting not to use the service anymore. Of course, Gigabit internet is always going to be important, especially for the future of content consumption, with video coming in higher resolution which means larger files and it’ll need more bandwidth. And Google wants to help these cord cutters, and get them onto other services, so it is opting to leave out traditional TV in Louisville and San Antonio. Of course, part of this could also be the fact that many Fiber customers are only signing up for Internet and not Internet with TV.
Google does mention in its blog post that those in markets with Fiber and those that subscribe to its TV service, nothing will change. Google Fiber is not getting rid of its TV service in markets that are already up and running. It is just changing things in future markets. So users will be able to decide if they want to get rid of their TV through Google Fiber and use something like PlayStation Vue or Sling TV or something else, without any issues. Google Fiber does say that its superfast internet will be available in Louisville and San Antonio soon, but doesn’t give any specific dates on when, just yet.