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11.11 – Update: User agent fix unblocks Fox.com…for now.

Another one bites the dust. A couple of weeks ago, Fox.com was atop our list of Websites that could still be accessed on Google TV to stream full episodes of content. Well, you can go ahead and cross Fox off that list, as they are now blocking Google TV devices (see the photo above).

The list of networks allowing Google TV devices to access their online content appears to be dwindling. Stay tuned.

[Cheers, Brian]

  • Chris

    It should be illegal and they should do anything they have to do to circumvent it. If it works on multiple browsers and platforms, they shouldn’t be allowed to single out one and block it because the want to charge a fee for it to be displayed on a TV as opposed to a television program.

  • Jrvad

    Google should aquire its own network in order to cut out these middlemen.

  • Frag

    Time for Google to spoof the flash player id, or at least make it “user-modifiable”. If Google TV looks exactly like any other browser, the networks lose.

  • Ossurm

    Spot on – you should be able to mod the GTV box to spoof the user-agent. Problem solved!

  • Scott

    I have a Logitech Revue, and don’t have cable, and my antenna reception isn’t that great. I can’t watch any of the major networks very easily now. So blocking Google TV prevents them from getting any advertising revenue from me. They need to stop bring so petty. The major networks are pushing me toward Netflix. I watch almost all of my TV content through Netflix.

  • Eddie

    Really what’s the difference Fox, computers can be used with HD tv’s too. I’m sure if they could figure how to block outputs to tv they would try.

  • Cgbeige

    If only there was some sort of net neutrality law… The irony too much to handle.

  • http://twitter.com/phoebusboy1 phoebusboy1

    Just subscribe to PlayOn.tv and watch anything on GTV
    gtv.playon.tv

  • http://gdgtgrl.net Kenya

    I enjoy online content on my TV since I have the computer hooked up to it. It IS a good thing they can’t block that.

    I hope Google can change it’s Flash Player ID and user agent to look like a regular computer even for users who might not be that tech savvy. This is ridiculous.

  • Steven

    hint – they don’t get advertising revenue from those of us watching. we are the product being sold to the advertisers; the advertisers are the ones paying the networks.

  • a different scott

    …and if they have less product to sell then the advertisers pay less money. Amazing.

  • http://publishr.blogspot.com secular1

    I have my macbook hooked up to my 42″ Vizio HDTV. Who watches TV content on regular TV Network Channels anymore?

    Who watches a network owned by a Muslim Arab & an Australian anyway?

    You’d think USAmerica was more tech savvy.

  • Anonymous

    This isn’t about net neutrality. That’s about the pipes (hardware). This is an issue about what is traveling through the pipes (software). If FOX doesn’t have the right to deliver bytes only to desired clients, then I guess encryption doesn’t deserve to exist either, since it acomplishes the same task…and if companies and people keep exploiting video streams like this, I’m sure that’s probably exactly the route they will take: more encryption and DRM. But if we can implement measures like that, so can they. It doesn’t affect anything else you do on the net. Net neutrality covers things like Comcast dictating that it won’t carry bittorrent traffic over its wires. Period. That’s not a content owner or software developer deciding how their product is distributed…that’s a wholly separate company telling product makers how or if their stuff will be distributed. That’s the kind of thing net neutrality would protect against.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=667369815 David Day

    This is about one thing pure and simple. The networks fear disruption of the Tv industry. They are afraid that Google will come in and disrupt the TV industry the way Apple disrupted the music industry. Once consumers start moving to Google TV, then they Google can take Ad revenue away by putting up web based Ads as well as Tv based ads. At the very least, I think the threat of Google TV will push the cable companies into building a better settop box with web functionality based in similar to what happened with Tivo. However, the cable company settop browser will suck because they will dictate the usage, just as the cable-ized version of a Tivo sucks.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=667369815 David Day

    This is about one thing pure and simple. The networks fear disruption of the Tv industry. They are afraid that Google will come in and disrupt the TV industry the way Apple disrupted the music industry. Once consumers start moving to Google TV, then they Google can take Ad revenue away by putting up web based Ads as well as Tv based ads. At the very least, I think the threat of Google TV will push the cable companies into building a better settop box with web functionality based in similar to what happened with Tivo. However, the cable company settop browser will suck because they will dictate the usage, just as the cable-ized version of a Tivo sucks.

  • Xmlblog

    That argument doesn’t hold up. We’re talking about PUBLIC airwaves. Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS aren’t cable stations. Let them move to cable and exclude whomever they please.

  • Anonymous

    They paid to create the content so they can do anything they want with it including allowing one platform to play it and not another. I don’t want to carry the water for the networks here because I think they are your basic greedy corporate entities that would kill baby kittens live if it brought them revenue but all the same you can’t go about changing the structure of the Constitution because you want to watch House on your new GTV box. There’s no inherent right to free television in the Constitution.

  • Anonymous

    I’d say that’s precisely why it does hold up. Net neutrality would be about the airwaves themselves, not the people attempting to broadcast upon it. And the airwaves are NOT neutral. Anybody can put up an internet site, but not anyone can put up a broadcast station. Being able to host your content on equal footing with everyone else is what net neutrality is trying to protect. It doesn’t care if you want to encrypt or restrict your own property. Net neutrality is not about the hosts and clients, it’s about the infrastructure itself. Why is that an important distinction? Because if a particular host isn’t doing what you want, you can choose another. Or another company can observe a host isn’t doing what people want, and make a competitive play. However, if the infrastructure of the internet itself is compromised by individual interests, what can we do? Start another internet? That’s a couple degrees of magnitude more difficult. Net neutrality is more about being able to put stuff up on the internet, rather than consume it. If FOX wanted to stream its TV shows (to just ten VIP’s or a ten million people) but discovered their video streams were not being properly transmitted because ABC and NBC had deals with Comcast and Sprint to give their streams much higher priority…that’s a Net neutrality.

  • http://twitter.com/Bacchus1 Bacchus1

    LOL, probably Fox is mad because Apple has pulled their advertising from Fox which started with Beck’s show.

  • http://twitter.com/Bacchus1 Bacchus1

    LOL, probably Fox is mad because Apple has pulled their advertising from Fox which started with Beck’s show.

  • http://twitter.com/Bacchus1 Bacchus1

    LOL, Fox is probably doing it because Apple pulled their advertising on Fox which they started with Beck’s show due to his craziness. Whatever, doubt Apple will be hurt out of this with their products. Fox is a loser.

  • Anonymous

    Google should add the ability to change user agents per website. So there would be a area to change the useragent to firefox 3.0, internet explorer 8 or Safari for fox.com only

    I doubt theres any other way for these website to tell between a Google TV browser and any other brower

  • Zorro

    Nobody is stopping you from hooking up an antennae to GoogleTV and watching that way

  • Zorro

    You can purchase shows from every network on Amazon VOD through GoogleTV

  • Bob Loblaw

    You have a 42′ Vizio HDTV?!?! WOW!!! My God I’m soooooo jealous. You must be like a frickin’ billionaire or somethin?

  • bobbaddd

    There should be a chip that detects a cable or sat. box being plugged into the Revue. I have already paid to view this previously played content from my DirecTV service and could have recorded it on my DVR. Why can i now not watch it from my google tv? This is so foolish, screw you if you are cheap and trying to avoid paying for sat. or cable, I just want to watch shows i have missed and view MLB.tv and NFL.tv on my big screen.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Konrad-Roeder/566220507 Konrad Roeder

    Fox Blocks Google TV ??? You wonder why? Well, it makes it that much more difficult watching FAUX News and fact checking them and chatting with people/twittering links at the same time !!! That would be too much fun!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Konrad-Roeder/566220507 Konrad Roeder

    The Logitech Revue Google TV box has an HDMI input that is used to connect to the cable or satellite receiver. I don’t know of very many ATSC tuners (terrestial broadcast HD TV) that have an HDMI output, do you?

  • Bobluvsgin

    please do not take fox off the direct tv lineup. We really enjoy watching fox.

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  • Anonymous

    Fox sucks they are doing the world a favor. Personally I block all of Newscorp media whenever and wherever possible.

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