Google has announced the planned opening of the Google Video Store, the first open video marketplace enabling consumers to buy and rent a wide range of video content from a major television network, a professional sports league,
cable programmers, independent producers and film makers. This fast growing collection of videos will include prime-time and classic hits from CBS, a full slate of NBA games from this season and outstanding performances from the past, music videos from SONY BMG, Charlie Rose interviews as well as news and historical content from ITN and new titles being added everyday.
"Google video will let you watch lots of high quality video on the web for the first time. You can search and browse, and we make it fast and easy for you to watch," said Larry Page, Google's co-founder and president, Products. "For video producers and anyone with a video camera, Google Video will give you a platform to publish to the entire Google audience in a fast, free and seamless way."
Available soon, people who visit the Google Video homepage at http://video.google.com will be able to browse listings of video by category from the store or search Google's entire collection of videos by simply entering keywords into the search box.
"This is yet another exciting platform in which CBS can leverage its market-leading content to a whole new audience," said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. "Making our programming accessible to the Google Video Store guarantees our shows significant new exposure to millions of users who are likely to access this Web service and who may not be traditional TV viewers. As the industry's most prolific generator of popular TV content, it's only natural that CBS would partner with Google on this service, which is destined to become one of the web's most popular destinations."
CBS's current primetime hits will include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Survivor and The Amazing Race. Library classics will include I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, The Twilight Zone, MacGyver, Have Gun Will Travel, Mannix, My Three Sons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. All CBS programs will be presented commercial free.
Additional highlights of Google's video collection will include:
- Music videos from SONY BMG. The line-up of launch videos includes
offerings from some of SONY BMG's global superstar artists, including
Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Kenny Chesney, Destiny's Child, Kelly
Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Lil' Flip, Jessica Simpson, Shakira, System of a
Down, Switchfoot, Usher, and many more sellout artists.
- Feature Length Independent Films from Greencine.com. Including
works by legendary Polish director Andrzej Wajda (Zemsta), documentary
filmmaker Ted Bonnitt (Mau Mau Sex Sex) and independent actor/director
Caveh Zahedi (In the Bathtub of the World).
- Historic, news and educational footage from ITN. This material
ranges from coverage of key events in 2005 such as the Pope John Paul
II's death, back to a recording of the 1896 coronation of Tsar
Nicholas II - one of the earliest known pieces of moving imagery.
- Charlie Rose interviews. Including interviews with Henry Kissinger,
Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, Martha Stewart, Martin Scorsese,
Harrison Ford, Dan Rather, Charles M. Schulz, Steve Jobs, Jay Leno, Tom
Brokaw, and others.
- Cartoon classics from Classic Media. Featuring many of the
world's most famous animated series such as "Felix the Cat,"
"Casper The Friendly Ghost," and "Rocky and Bullwinkle." The stomach churns...
- Children's educational programming from Clearvue. Educational
video topics vary from teen education on tattoos to explanations about
the workings of the human brain.
- Educational video topics from Clearvue vary from teen education on
tattoos to explanations about the workings of the human brain.
- Clips from Getty Images' Archive Films Collection. A diverse
collection of short clips that capture personalities, moments and eras
throughout history - selected from vintage newsreels and educational
film, as well as contemporary news and events from around the world.
There will be thousands of titles for sale in the Google Video Store
with more titles added everyday. The list of content producers will
also include a broad range of entertainment and educational partners
including among others, Blue Highways TV, CareTALK, Fashion TV, Here!
TV, HDNet, Hilarious Picks, Image Entertainment, iWatchNow.com, Kantola
Productions, MediaZone, Plum TV, Porchlight Entertainment, SOFA
Entertainment, Teen Kids, Trinity Broadcasting Network, WGBH, Wheels
TV, and Wilderness Film India Ltd.
Launched early last year, Google Video is the first open video
marketplace where any video producer, large or small, can upload their
content and distribute it for free or at a price. Video prices are set
by the content provider with no minimum or maximum dollar-limit. Owners
also have the choice to offer their content with or without copy
protection - enabling them greater control over its distribution.
Additionally, content from Google Video can be viewed with a new player
that can be downloaded for free from any playback page. It offers all
the traditional playback options (play, pause, stop...) as well as a
"thumbnail" navigation feature that enables users to browse through
an entire video, or frames at a time, with a simple click of their
mouse.
iPod and Sony Playstation Portable users will also be able to download
and watch any non-copy-protected content from Google Video, and even
get it specially optimized for playback on their devices. Google Video
Store will be available throughout the world, however purchasing
premium content in the Google Video Store will only be available in the
U.S !
