Well, this isn’t what Google hoped for when they released their very hyped Google TV software. The “this” I’m referring to is the blocking of the software by major television networks. Since Google TV supports Adobe Flash in the browser (Chrome) included with the software many assumed that they would be able to access sites like Hulu and the network content sites. They can’t do it though. Many people expected that Hulu would find a way to block Google TV but I don’t think anyone expected other networks (in this case ABC, NBC and CBS) to block the software. Fox is the only major network that allows their shows to be streamed via the software.

This decision doesn’t make sense to many. All they are doing is blocking someone from watching video in a web browser. In fact, you could create a setup where you use a computer paired with a wireless keyboard to connect to your TV and use the web browser on said computer to access the same content that is blocked, including Hulu. So what gives? The networks are willing to let the hyper geeky types watch to their hearts content because they are the only ones who care enough to create a setup like I described. The other 99% of the population will likely use some magic box that has Google TV or perhaps Boxee to get to the network sites. And even though the people will see the same advertisements that the people on the web see, the networks still don’t want them accessing the web episodes (or “webisodes”) via their televisions.

I’m sure it still doesn’t make sense to you. I think that the networks want to force people to watch the TV stream because of things like Nielsen ratings and advertising rates. It’s more lucrative for the network to have a commercial viewed on TV than via the web. That means if web viewership explodes at the expense of the TV stream the networks start losing out on revenue. There’s also the issue of the relationship of the cable company to be considered. The cable companies need the network content to keep subscriptions up and the networks need the cable companies so they can get the most valuable shows viewed on the most valued platform which is the TV. So don’t expect the cable companies to care whether or not you can watch Modern Family episodes via the Google TV browser.

What all this means is that the value of Google TV is now limited due to the fact that the most valuable content is not available. So why buy the thing? Google probably cares less than Logitech and Sony who have invested money in deploying the technology in set top boxes and (in Sony’s case) televisions. I’m sure that both would like to see a return on their investment. Google probably has future advertising plans for Google TV so they’re supposedly in talks with the networks. Good luck with that. The TV networks are tough when it comes to their content. At least Hulu, which is owned by some of the networks involved, has opened up the possibility of access with their Hulu Plus offering. How would you like to pay $10 a month to watch TV on your TV? You wouldn’t but the networks would love you to.

So there you have it. The whole thing is a mess. If there’s any winner here I think it’s the video networks (including Netflix) who have seen fit to make their content available even if it is for a monthly fee. There are also many networks of video podcasters, Blip.tv and Blubrry among them, that have tailored their services to offer access via internet TV platforms. People definitely want more options when it comes to TV watching so they will seek out Google TV and other platforms such as Boxee, Roku, and the WD TV boxes to name a few. The quality content that can be found on those devices will gain more audience as a result.

I don’t know what the major broadcast and cable networks plan to do. My hunch is that they will fight this next wave of technology because it has the potential to really disrupt their traditional business. They better watch out though. The newspapers, with their decreasing revenues and circulation, have found that you play at your own risk when you ignore technology that consumers want to utilize. If people moved away from major newspapers online publications and blogs they can surely accept what content there is on internet tv platforms and leave the major networks behind.