Google Eyes Pay-TV Play

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is drawing up a plan to offer pay-TV services, a possible move that would up the competitive ante with traditional cable MSOs, telcos and satellite TV service providers, as well as over-the-top players, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The paper said the Internet search and mobile OS giant is looking to layer video and phone services on top of the 1Gbit/s fiber network it's building in Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., and has already started carriage discussions with major studios and programmers, including Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS). One idea making the rounds is to bring a lineup of cable channels to YouTube Inc. , which is about to unleash almost 100 Web TV "channels." Word of the possible moves comes as Google is trying to acquire Motorola Mobility LLC , a major cable video gear supplier. (See Google to Plant More Kansas City Fiber, Google Crafting YouTube 'Channels' and Google Didn't Want All of Motorola Mobility .)

Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH) defended the aims of its acquisition of two bankrupt satellite operators in an Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing, claiming that its proposal would push forward the agency's priority of "deploying broadband networks to every American." Dish is trying to transfer ownership of spectrum from TerreStar and DBSD North America Inc. and is asking for a waiver that would let it move ahead on a plan to create a hybrid terrestrial-satellite broadband service under a new subsidiary called Gamma. (See Dish Sizing Up Mobile Broadband Service .)

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is taking a deeper run at T-1 competition after extending its trunk-based VoIP services and Docsis 3.0-fueled 100Mbit/s downstream by 10Mbit/s upstream Internet offering to businesses in Michigan.

Liberty Global Inc. (Nasdaq: LBTY) and Intel Capital are among those leading a $35 million Series E investment in Delivery Agent Inc., a maker of software that lets consumers make purchases via the television. Delivery Agent has raised $107.3 million so far and counts clients such as NBCUniversal LLC , CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS), HBO and Discovery Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK).

Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings has taken the brunt of the blame for a recent string of blunders that has wiped about $12 billion of the company's value, but analysts tell The San Francisco Chronicle that it's unlikely that the company will look to replace him anytime soon, noting that Hastings, who is also Netflix's president and chairman of the board, still has firm control and remains the company's visionary, so there may be no other alternative at this point, anyway. (See Netflix Loses 810,000 Subs .)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable