Viacom Blocks Google TV

NEW YORK: Viacom joins ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX on the roster of broadcast groups that have blocked access to users of Google TV.

Full-length episodes of shows from such Viacom-owned channels as MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET are no longer available on the search engine's new Internet TV platform. Internet users can still access Viacom shows on its websites through desktop computers. Users of Google TV, however, are unable to find those Internet shows through the new service.

"We’re blocking access to our full episode content from Google TV’s web browser," the company said in a statement. "We continue to evaluate Google TV to identify opportunities where it may make sense to optimize our web content for the platform."

Where do media moguls go...?

As the media business goes through a generational shift, several former industry titans appear to be seeking a compass for their lives.

WHEN Michael D. Eisner left the Walt Disney Company after a shareholder revolt in 2005, the former chief executive was forced to rethink his life. Where once he had commanded a private plane to fly around the world, last year he pedaled around Italy on a bicycle. Instead of wielding the power to back the next “Pirates of the Caribbean,” today Mr. Eisner is financing a modest Web video series called “Prom Queen,” e-mailing his friends to remind them to watch.

While Viacom boss Tom Freston admits: "I'm trying to figure out what to do." Ex-Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin says: "I'm going to find myself."

New York Times has more.

Viacom Lawsuit a Threat to Internet, Google Says

Viacom's copyright infringement suit against Google and its YouTube video-sharing unit strikes at the heart of how the Internet works, Google argues in a new U.S. federal court filing. "Viacom's complaint threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information."

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN3047264820070501