Shhh! Google in cahoots with Fuller to change the TV industry?

simon fullerA week ago Google took on the mobile industry with the announcement of the Open Handset Alliance, Android, and the “thousands” of Google-powered phones that could result. Today, Google is taking on the television industry.

The Guardian reports that Google is in secret, hush-hush, behind-closed-doors talks with Simon Fuller, the British entrepreneur behind the Spice Girls and Pop Idol, the world’s most successful TV franchise. Its U.S. spinoff, American Idol, is run by Fuller friend and sometimes rival Simon Cowell.

Little is known about the Google-Fuller collaboration. One line of thinking is that Google’s plans for TV include generating original content and competing with major broadcasters — at the same time competing with mobile carriers, Microsoft, and everybody else who wants a piece of the search giant. We wrote about Google and its TV plans back in July.

spice girlsThe Guardian notes that sources close to Fuller say his collaboration with Google could — get out the hype meters — “revolutionize the way entertainment and music are distributed.”

The unnamed source said:

“It’s a big idea on a global scale”

“It will change television in much the way iTunes changed the way music is disseminated.”

Hmm. Wonder what it could be? The Google Channel? The Google Network? Google Idol? The Google Office? Google Survivor? Spongebob Meets Google? The Spice Girls in the Amazing Google Race?

So, like with the famed Gphone, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Just think, Google-powered televisions …

Photo credit of Fuller: BBC

last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

One Response to “Shhh! Google in cahoots with Fuller to change the TV industry?”

  1. Rehan says:

    Yeah man google rocks.
    only feature i want is to synce my gmail account with my mobile Fone book.

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