Three of the biggest U.S. television broadcasters have blocked their shows from Google Inc.’s new Web TV service, throwing a wrench into the company’s plans to expand from computers to the living room.
Spokespeople from Walt Disney Co. and NBC Universal confirmed Thursday that they blocked access to its broadcast TV shows from Google TV. Disney owns network and cable TV businesses ABC and ESPN.
News Corp.’s Fox also is considering blocking access to shows on its Web site, a source familiar with the matter said.
CBS has blocked access to full episodes of its programs, including the popular “The Office” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. CBS declined to comment.
Google TV, which became available this month in the United States, allows consumers to access Web content on their televisions.
The service, which is built-in to devices from Sony and Logitech International, could open new advertising opportunities for Google, which generates the bulk of its roughly $24 billion in annual revenue from Web search ads.
‘The Office’ is on NBC, not CBS>