Google is once again meeting with media companies in an effort to license traditional TV content, according to a report today.
The Mountain View-based company is said to have made pitches to multiple programmers and even demoed a product, according to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.
The plan would be to carry cable TV-style packages of channels over broadband connections, a process which the report called "over-the-top TV."
However, Google may have to resort to selling much-maligned channel bundles in an effort to lure reluctant media companies that resisted its Google TV bids two years ago.
The race to the vast wasteland
Google isn't the only cutting-edge technology company with a desire to launch a television streaming service.
Apple reportedly met with media companies like Time Warner Cable to secure deals for a premium Apple TV service with ad-skipping capabilities, according to a rumor yesterday.
Likewise, Sony and Intel are also said to be readying over-the-top TV services, with documents going as far as calling Intel's product OnCue.
Google's advantages
Google might have an advantage over its rivals, having already attempted to blaze the traditional TV streaming trail with media companies two years ago.
It also has experience hosting original video programming through YouTube and selling set-top box devices thanks to its existing line of Google TV products.
Going along with Google TV's slick interface is the dominance of the Android platform on which it runs.
Tying Android-powered smartphones and tablets into the experience could help Google get a leg up in negotiations with media companies afraid of changing the way traditional TV works and sometimes doesn't work.
- Read about Microsoft's plans for Xbox TV
